39u - The Lord Has Re-established His Kingdom (Church) On The Earth And Sees To It That All, Throughout the World, Have Free Access to Its Message! #1

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TODAY'S THEME



The Lord Jesus Christ -by Heinrich Hofmann

Isaiah 2: 2(Also, II Nephi 12: 2-3*) And it shall come to pass in the last days, that (when) the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (emphasis added)

The Prophet Isaiah

In my just previous post, 39t, I told about the Latter-day Saint pioneers first entering the Great Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. Here is the painting I showed then:

Artist Unknown

One of the most significant features of the Salt Lake Valley in the State of Utah, U.S.A. is that it is located at an elevation of approximately 4,500 feet above sea level between two large mountain ranges. In this painting the view of the Valley is from the vantage point of the somewhat higher Wasatch Mountain Range on the East.

As the Mormon Pioneers' covered wagons are shown descending at a steep angle toward the Valley below, on the far left side of the painting, in the distance, can be seen the very Northern end of the Oquirrh Mountain Range which is just South and slightly East of the Great Salt Lake which appears as a small white band, running from left to right in the distance. Both of these two mentioned mountain ranges run North and South. Other mountains can be seen still further West. Literally then, The Salt Lake Valley is situated in the Top of the Mountains.

As you read above, the Prophet Isaiah saw in vision that in "the last days" (the days just before the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ) "the LORD's House shall be established in the top of the mountains."

In that scripture the Lord's House refers to one of the first few of the Lord's 330 temples which have already been built by His Restored Church in our days, throughout the world. There are 30 more either under construction or in planning stages. There are still many more to come before (and I believe), after the Second Coming of our Lord!

Below is a world map on which is shown where the present 330 (plus) LDS Temples are located. You can also view photos of them.

The temples are also listed alphabetically. They are usually named after the city and state or city and nation where they are located.

You will find it easy to view photos of the temples about which you choose to learn. They are very beautiful buildings, but more than that, the work done in them by members of the LDS Church for their deceased relatives and ancestors such as vicarious baptism, brings a closeness, even a bonding, with those who have departed from this life before, whom we will no doubt meet after we too leave this present life. Because of our vicarious actions in their behalf, we can rejoice with them when we meet them in the world of spirits where we all go after our lives here on earth have ended.

World Map On Which LDS Church Temples are found. 

Isaiah also prophesied that "all nations shall flow unto it." One remarkable thing about Salt Lake City and all of Utah is that many of its present citizens' ancestors and even many of its present citizens and/or their parents come from homelands located throughout the earth. That prophesy was also literally fulfilled, at least temporarily, when the very successful Worldwide Winter Olympics of the year 2002 was headquartered in Salt Lake City.

Beginning soon after the Mormon pioneers arrived there, construction began on the Salt Lake Temple, literally a House of the Lord. It was built out of solid granite hewed out of the Wasatch Mountain range. It took forty years to complete.

Below this paragraph can be seen two photos taken at night: The one on the left shows a small part of Salt Lake City with the Wasatch Mountain Range (to the East) in the background. The photo on the right shows the East side of the Salt Lake Temple as it appears today. Between you and the temple is a pond of water in which the temple is reflected.


Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. is where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is headquartered. Across the street to the North of the Salt Lake Temple, shown above, is the Church's relatively new Conference Center. Twice a year, once in early April and then in early October this world-wide church with a membership nearing fourteen million, holds General Conference.
In Isaiah's prophecy which I quoted above, I also highlighted these words:

On April 3rd and 4th of this year (2010), a Saturday and and a Sunday, the annual Church conference is scheduled. It is a world-wide conference. In times past leaders of the church from many different lands would travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. along with other world-wide members who could afford to travel here. In October 2010 the Semiannual General Conference of the Church will be held here also.

Now, because of modern means of electronic communications, church leaders and other members of the church from lands throughout the entire earth are able to experience this time of being "taught in his ways" by remaining in their homelands at General Conference time, thus helping them to learn more regularly how to "walk in his paths," without making the sacrifice of traveling so far from home!

Not only are the means of being as if one were in attendance at General Conference, available to church leaders and church members in foreign lands, they are also available to each of you viewers of this blog post no matter where you live in the world, in your own language because of the means of modern TV communications, expert translators, and the power of the Internet, to which each of you have access or you would not be reading this blog post right now!

In my blog post which I will publish on March 29, (2010) I will give you specific instructions which will help you read and listen to the Church's General Conference, as if you were right here in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. in attendance in the Church's huge Conference Center located directly across the street from Temple Square where one of the Lord's Houses, the Salt Lake City, Utah Temple (shown above) is located.

Here are two views of the exterior of the LDS Conference Center, followed by an interior view of the Center's auditorium showing its immensity. Right there is where the Church's General Conferences take place. The Center is located on North Temple Street just North, across the street from the Salt Lake Temple shown in the photo above.





Now, I'm planning to treat you, in this and in my next three posts, to the special opportunity in each of them, of your experiencing two LDS general authority talks using the medium of musical videos. Those videos have been developed from talks which were given in fairly recent General Conferences of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You can expect the next three posts of mine to be published on March 19, 24, and 29.

Also, in my very next post I have decided to treat you to the experience of viewing various scenes in Salt Lake City using a new (at least it is new to me) innovation in viewing various buildings and even the wonders of nature in the State of Utah. It is called: 360 degree Panoramic views. You will enjoy using that simple to use device, for example, to swivel the photograph, you see right above, of the huge interior of the Conference Center which will help you experience in a fascinating way, the immensity of the auditorium of that huge, attractive building!

You can have also, in my next post, a similar experience using that same device in viewing the amazingly beautiful interior of the Utah State Capitol Building located right here in Salt Lake City.

You will now view a video based on a talk given by former LDS President, Gordon B. Hinckley in a General Conference session about a year or so before his death. In this talk he relates a story told him by his own father.

That was only one of the two General Conference talks I am making available to you through the medium of Mormon Messages Videos in this post.

Here is the second one. It was given in the October 2009 General Conference of the Church. The speaker is the Second Counselor to the present LDS Church Prophet, Thomas S. Monson who succeeded President Hinckley after his death several years ago. He is President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. He was born in Czechoslovakia to German parents. They were members of the LDS Church. They lived for a time in East Germany where they endured very difficult circumstances during World War II. They then moved to Frankfurt, Germany. He eventually became a pilot in the German Air Force and subsequently was an airline pilot and then an official of a commercial air line. He served very faithfully as a church leader in Germany. Please click on the following link to experience the Mormon Messages Video which was made to illustrate that which he was teaching in his General Conference address.

President Dieter Uchdorf's Conference Address.

That video covered only a relatively small yet very important portion of a very touching and very helpful talk.

Here is his complete talk in case you want to hear it.


A very regular part of each General Conference Session of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the presence of the famous, Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They sing several numbers in each session of conference.

The Tabernacle Choir Video you will now view was recorded in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square located not far from the Conference Center where General Conference is held where they perform at Conference Time.
"I Know that My Redeemer Lives"


IMPORTANT NOTE: After much careful deliberation and humble prayer, I have decided to focus on preparing you for the opportunity you may possibly choose to take of reading and/or listening in the language of your choice, to the sessions of the LDS Church's April Conference that will take place on Saturday, the third of April and Sunday the fourth of April 2010. Sessions on each day begin at 10:00 A.M. (U.S.A) Mountain Standard Time and 2:00 P.M. U.S.A. Mountain Standard Time.

I am attempting to prepare and interest you by selecting six additional Mormon Messages Videos (based on previous conference speeches given by Church general authorities along with three recorded performances of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir by dividing these up equally for you to experience in my next three posts. I will do my utmost to choose the most interesting, touching and vital of the Mormon Messages at my disposal.

Please also note: You can choose to tune into these conference sessions after the listed time. I believe they will remain available for a time after these sessions are held. I will check this out and let you know for sure in my next post. All of the addresses will also be available in written form in the November Issue of the Church's Ensign Magazine which you can obtain through lds.org. I will help you on that later also. There are also Liahona Magazines in many languages other than English. You can access those through LDS.com also.

I have been viewing the Mormon Messages (most are based on General Conference talks) regularly for over a year and I can't think of one that would not be appealing to any of you, be you a member of the LDS Church or not.

As I mentioned above, in each of those three posts, I will link you to Mormon Tabernacle Choir videos. I will give much thought to which ones I use, but if you are like me, you enjoy most any music the Mormon Tabernacle Choir along with the Orchestra on Temple Square, performs .

* I called your attention by the asterisk I used in the scripture at the head of this post and the corresponding asterisk at the beginning of this paragraph, to indicate that an identical quote from the Book of Isaiah is found in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, II Nephi 12: 2-3. You will note that there is just one word different in Nephi's record from what is in Isaiah's record as recorded in our Old Testament, Nephi's when for Isaiah's that.

I remind you that Nephi and his three brothers were sent back to Jerusalem from near the Red Sea, by their father, Lehi who had begun leading them (with direct guidance from the Lord) toward their promised land which we now know to be, Central America, in the Western Hemisphere.

The purpose of Nephi and his brothers having been sent back to Jerusalem by their father was that the Lord had commanded Father Lehi to have his sons go there to obtain the Brass Plates which contained engravings of the sacred scriptures which were available to them and other Jewish people of their day.

These Jewish immigrants, Father Lehi and his family and Ishmael, a relative of his, along with his family, and another man who was not related to them; greatly needed to have these inspired scriptures among them, or at least that was what the the righteous among them realized.

I'm sure Father Lehi knew that unless they had these sacred scriptures which were recorded on the Brass Plates of Laban with them, their righteousness would gradually or perhaps, even rapidly diminish. Besides, the Lord had commanded Lehi to send his sons back to their homeland to obtain those sacred records
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The same holds true for all of their righteous descendants and many who much later became righteous after periods of wickedness. To remain righteous it was necessary to have God's sacred scriptures to study and serve as guides in their lives. This truth of people needing the holy scriptures to serve as guides to righteous living surely applies to each of us too!

Isaiah's writings were recorded on those brass plates along with the writings of many other prophets. This, of course explains why Nephi could quote Isaiah so acurately! We learn later in the Book of Mormon of scriptures of other prophets and their prophecies who are not even mentioned in our Old Testament.

I continue to marvel at the Book of Mormon! What a record! We all need to be grateful that the Lord saw to it that His Nephite prophets wrote and preserved it so that His modern-day prophet, Joseph Smith could, under the inspiration of the Lord, translate it for our use in our day! I remind myself and you that the Prophet Joseph Smith said the Book of Mormon is "the Keystone of our Religion!"
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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: LDS General Conference, Preparing To Experience It No Matter Where You live in the World - Part 1 - Post 39u. When You See the Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy, Please, Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use The Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed.)


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


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

39t - The Tender Mercies of the Lord are Over All His Chosen Ones Because of Their Faith. Who is Among Them? Are You?

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

Painting: Liz Lemon Swindle

Book of Mormon, I Nephi 1:20 . . . But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

Be it a mother alone with her little children, after having left the comforts of their home in beautiful Nauvoo, Illinois, U.S.A. to go west with other members of their church. In the cold winter of 1846; they, along with many other distressed Latter-day Saints, are crossing over the frozen Mississippi River to begin their long, at times by foot, but with the help of covered wagons.

(the artist who painted this picture was depicting Emma Smith and her children. She is the widow, and they are the children, of the prophet Joseph Smith who was killed by enemies of their church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, several years before).

With the Lord's tender and merciful blessings strengthening them, these first Mormon pioneers steadily continued their very difficult one thousand mile journey and finally reached the safety provided them in the then desolate Great Salt Lake Valley. That first group, under the direct leadership of the Lord's prophet, Brigham Young, arrived July 24, 1847. That place, chosen by God, was to eventually become, through their faith, and and the faith of all the many others who followed, the fruitful and inviting place which we now know as: the Salt Lake Valley of the State of Utah, U.S.A.

Artist Unknown LDS Pioneers Entering the Great Salt Lake Valley July 24, 1847

Or Be it. . .

Photo by Howard M. Collett/LDS Philanthropies

Children in Lowama, Sierra Leone, (Africa) who have followed visiting LDS Church members to the river bank to bid farewell. (Their families look forward to a new well. constructed with the help of LDS Charities, that will soon be operational there.
In the case of both the Mormon Pioneers and the People of Lowama, there is ample evidence of their great faith and the tender mercies of the Lord spoken of by the Prophet, Nephi, son of Lehi as quoted above.

Sierra Leone water project: Tribal communities work together to improve health - Hygiene training helps 123,000 in 150 villages
By Howard M. Collett
LDS Philanthropies
Published: Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010

BO, SIERRA LEONE

As we emerged from the canoe on the banks of the Sewa River, singing in the distance told us that this was going to be an extraordinary day. We were in the bush an hour east of Bo, in central Sierra Leone. Hiking up a trail to the small forest village of Lowama, we saw a procession of about 50 villagers coming toward us singing praises to God, thanking Him that their prayers had been answered. It was an unexpected but exceptionally warm welcome to a small contingency from Latter-day Saint Charities who had come to teach villagers about hygiene in preparation for a water well being constructed in their village.

Photo by Howard M. Collett/LDS Philanthopies

Life in rural Sierra Leone is simple — no electricity, plumbing, or refrigeration. Yet the people are resilient and work together for the common good. In rural villages, obtaining water is the work of women and children as young as seven years of age.

Photo by Howard M. Collett/LDS Philanthropies

In a picturesque setting of mud-walled, thatch-roofed homes and open cooking fires, we listened to rice being pounded for the evening meal and observed beautiful children everywhere as we were escorted to the chief's home. We visited with the village elders in the shade of an open porch. The chief told us how much he appreciated our efforts to help improve his community. While Bo is the second largest community in Sierra Leone with more than 130,000 people, most people live in rural villages that don't even appear on a map. Here, people have no paved roads, electricity, or water systems.

Photo by Howard M. Colett/LDS Philanthropies

Photo by Howard M. Collett/ LDS Philanthropies

More than 400 families rebuilt Lowama following a lengthy and devastating civil war that ended in 2003. In this community, some women and children make a long trek daily to haul drinking water from a neighboring village. Cooking is done over open fires on hot coals of wood briquettes made by the villagers themselves. Most families keep the coals alive 24 hours a day, as it is easier than restarting them.

Photo by Howard M. Collet/LDS Philanthopies

We were in Lowama to film the beginnings of a clean water project sponsored by Latter-day Saint Charities. To ensure ownership of a well by the community, each project is started with the formation of a water committee and training in hygiene for families months in advance of the well digging. If a problem arises, the community will have been empowered to find a solution without reverting to getting water the way they had for generations — out of streams with questionable purity.

Photo by Howard M. Collett/LDS Philanthropies

Wells in central Sierra Leone must be dug 9 feet below the low water line to a depth of 30 feet.

Photo by Howard M. Collett/LDS Philanthropies

"The Church has always been more concerned with building people than water systems," said Matthew Heaps, clean water initiative manager for Humanitarian Services. "Our training has increased our impact in reaching that goal. This training allows families to discover the importance of hygiene, how to keep their hands clean, and how to properly care for water once it has been obtained from the well. Our goal in each community is for them to feel complete ownership so they will maintain the well and take responsibility for their health."

Photo by Howard M. Collett/LDS Philanthropies

Even clear water from streams is often teeming with bacteria that can cause intestinal diseases. Nearly two-thirds of the people of Sierra Leone don't have access to clean water.

The key to success in such projects is the people themselves. For the Bo area and the town of Kenema one hour to the east, LDS Charities contracted a project manager, hygiene supervisor, 10 site monitors, and 10 hygiene instructors for this 150 well project. Each is a member of the Church, and most are recently returned missionaries.

"People have come to realize they really can prevent sickness in their community," said Inmpey Cabinah, a recently returned missionary who oversees hygiene training in nearly 150 villages. "This is a new concept for them because they have never experienced this kind of training. While other people have come to Sierra Leone to dig wells, they have never emphasized hygiene — the things people can do to prevent sickness. We teach seven lessons in each community, such as good sanitation and how to wash hands properly with soap. Then we go back to see if people are really doing the things we taught them."

Photo by Howard M. Collett/LDS Phlanthropies

A long-time resident of Baomahun recalls joy that clean water brought to her village. LDS Charities is constructing 150 wells in Sierra Leone.

Photo by Howard M. Collett/LDS Philanthropies

Villagers in rural Sierra Leone congregate at the well before sunrise and again before sunset. Each well provides clean water for an average of 800 to 900 people.

Inmpey oversees 10 hygiene instructors who are also returned missionaries. Each hygiene instructor selects and trains a volunteer facilitator in each of 10 villages to conduct weekly hygiene training for two to four months. This train-the-trainer concept extends the training to 150 villages and some 123,000 people. This is essential in villages with no bathrooms, and it also ensures villagers' commitment to the need for clean water to prevent the disease and death so prevalent in emerging nations. Interestingly, most of these small communities — averaging about 900 people each — consists of Muslims and Christians, who work together with Latter-day Saint Charities for a common good, regardless of their different beliefs.

Photo by Howard M. Collett/ LDS Philanthropies

Many villagers walk long distances to get water, returning with 40 pounds in containers on their heads.Once hygiene training is under way, the project manager hires an experienced contractor. Each site monitor works with the contractors in 10 villages to help organize the communities and select volunteers to provide manual labor. The wells in these areas are dug by hand to a depth of about 30 feet. More than 31 cubic yards of rock and dirt are removed — one bucket at a time. Surprisingly, most wells are dug in less than one week. Concrete casings are then cast on site and lowered one at a time to line the well, which is about six feet across. The well is then capped with a concrete pad, and a hand pump is installed.

Richard Gobba oversees water project development in Lowama and eight other villages. "As site monitor I assist in coordinating the contractors, the technicians and the community," he said. "I work with the community to help them provide their own labor, and I help ensure that a better job is done in each community." Gobba said that because of the sacrifice individuals make in contributing to the Church Humanitarian Fund, LDS Charities also encourages sacrifice on the part of community members to provide sand, hand-cut rock and labor to help build the well.

Most communities charge each family a small fee to help maintain the well. But in one enterprising community, the leaders decided to use the fees to buy goats. The goats would give milk and when the well needed maintenance, a goat would be sold to pay for it. The investment paid a far better return than interest in the bank.

Once the pump is operational, women and children line up their buckets at sunrise and for the next two hours take turns pumping clean water for their cooking needs that day. This needed ritual takes place every morning, during the wet season or the dry season. While still an arduous task — women carry as much as 40 pounds of water on their heads and small children carry up to 15 pounds on theirs — it is much less time-consuming than walking a mile or more for water. The greatest benefit is that the water is free from the harmful bacteria that can cause disease that too often proves fatal for infants and small children.

The value of clean water cannot be completely appreciated until it is realized that Sierra Leone has the world's second highest infant mortality rate. Water-borne typhoid fever is one of the leading causes. Last year, LDS Charities provided clean water in Sierra Leone and 22 other countries for nearly one million people. Funding came from individual contributions to the humanitarian fund on meetinghouse donation slips and through LDS Philanthropies.

"If I could speak for the people of Sierra Leone," said Mustapha Turay, project manager for the new wells, "I would say a big thank you to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for blessing our lives, for coming to our aid at a most needed time. Thank you for saving lives, for saving children who would have died, and for creating jobs for our brothers and sisters who are employed in this water project."

After an afternoon of successful interviews and filming, it was time to go. As we left by canoe, the village children came down to the riverbank and waded into the water to say their goodbyes. We circled back toward the shore one last time to bid farewell and received shouts of "Thank you," "We love you," and "Goodbye!"

Photo by Howard M. Collett/LDS Philanthropies

We sat there feeling humbled and grateful. For so much of the year we live in air-conditioned or heated comfort, with easy access to clean air and water. We rededicated ourselves to doing more with whatever resources we can bring to those who need them. While we are changing other people's lives, they are changing ours as well.

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Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon Legal /StatementThank 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

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 Mormon Messages video. In this video Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, tells how the scripture quoted at the beginning of this post (which I have quoted again) applies very personally to each of us:

Book of Mormon, I Nephi 1:20 . . . But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

Elder David A. Bednar's Talk

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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: The Tender Mercies of the Lord are Over All of His Chosen Ones. You May Well be Among Them -Post39t; 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)._____________

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

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

39s - The Presence of Mankind Upon the Earth Was Not Brought About By Evolution. It Was Brought About By Our Heavenly Father and His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ for Their Eternal Purposes!

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

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TODAY'S THEME

Throughout the history of this world, whenever God, our Eternal Heavenly Father, has found that that any particular group of descendants of Adam and Eve, our original parents here on earth, have dropped to totally unacceptable depths of depravity and wickedness, he has wrought total destruction among them!

In the days of Noah it appears that the Lord God determined that "the particular group whose behavior had dropped to totally unacceptable depths of depravity and wickedness included all of mankind except Noah and his family." Noah had warned as many as he could but they did not heed his warnings.

Therefore, at a certain point of time during Noah's long life, the Lord God brought about an exceedingly great, totally comprehensive flood, which destroyed all living creatures, including all of mankind, except for Noah and his family and those animals which they were able to bring along with them in their exceedingly huge ark.



The Lord Fulfilleth All His Words -by Clark Kelly Price



Throughout the nearly fourteen million member Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this year, 2010, in many nations, world wide, using many different languages and dialects, the course of study in our Sunday Schools is that of the Old Testament.

In my just previous post I noted that there is a rotating schedule followed in LDS Church Sunday School curriculum: After one year of Old Testament Study, the New Testament will be studied for one year. In the following year the Book of Mormon is studied and in the fourth year, Church History and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants of the Church are studied. Then that rotation is repeated!

This curriculum rotation has been followed by this church for most all of my adult years. I expect it to continue throughout the rest of my life. It is blessing me with a thorough Gospel education which I highly value!

Those scriptures which are studied contain the words of God through His prophets here on earth. They are key means in leading church members to improve their manner of living and can gradually help lead them to Eternal Salvation.

Recently, after having studied earlier events in this world's history, including the Great Flood of Noah's time, as recorded in the Old Testament, we also studied in our Sunday School classes the account given in that great book of scripture, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah which took place during the Prophet Abraham's time on earth. It is told about in Genesis 19 and is referred to in the New Testament in a number of places. One is in:

2 Peter 2: 6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

In searching the Internet I found a painting in which is depicted the departure of Lot and his family from Sodom and Gomorrah thus escaping the destruction that took place there which some historians have estimated as having occurred in about 1323 B.C.:

Fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah -by John Martin

Here is a black and white drawing done by another artist of Lot and his family fleeing from Sodom:

Most all Old Testament authorities assert strongly that the people of those two cities were destroyed because their lives were permeated with sexual perversions!

In our current Old Testament Sunday School Guide, the following is written about Lot and his relationship to the city of Sodom. We are then asked an intriguing question.

At first Lot "lived in the cities of the plain," outside Sodom, but he pitched his tent toward Sodom" (Genesis 13:12). Later he lived in the city of Sodom itself. What things might we do that are the spiritual equivalent of pitching our tents toward Sodom? (emphasis added)

Perhaps many of you readers would feel more comfortable making a statement similar to what I will now make before ever trying to answer that very good question highlighted in blue just above: "Elements of Sodom have actually grown up right around me without my fully realizing it!"

It is hard for me to even vizualize just pitching my tent toward Sodom. Sodom is right here, right now and is all around us although we can't see it. We can blame this reality on the pervasive presence of the Internet! This truth can be proven by just reading an article I recently found in a local daily newspaper.

Recently I bought an issue of the daily newspaper available in the Greater Salt Lake City Area of Utah (U.S.A.), other than the one we subscribe to. I quickly found this:

"Peg McEntee (of the Salt Lake Tribune Newspaper) spent a month interviewing and riding along with investigators in Utah's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force as they tracked down and confronted suspected producers and consumers of child pornography. She reports on the problem, and law enforcement officers' efforts to stop it, in her columns through Sunday.

Here are some examples of what I saw last month: On one run, case agent Dave Artis and three other officers served a search warrant at a Main Street apartment. At first, it doesn't go well. The occupant wouldn't open the door, so Artis kicks it in. Another agent videotapes the whole operation, and I watch as soon as they come back to their offices. Inside, they find filth. Thirty or more empty cans of cat food on the kitchen floor and fast-food bags everywhere. Mold around the toilet. A bare bed; at its foot a computer monitor and three hard-drives full of child pornography. A singular bit of evidence, often found in such homes, are the many bottles full of urine the men use so they don't have to take their eyes off the screen. "I wish you could put the smell" on the tape, one agent says. "These guys get so addicted to child porn that every waking moment is spent with it," says McQuiston, then commander of the ICAC unit. "The house goes to garbage. Nothing else matters." (emphasis added)

The chalkboard above displays a heartfelt message from a young girl interviewed at the Childrens' Justice Center in the Salt Lake City area, Utah, (U.S.A.) regarding her devasting experience with child sexual abuse.

Parents tell us that their children feel much better after their visit to the program." (This photo and paragraph of explanation was obtained from the Utah Attorney General's section of the Internet.)

I'm not able personally to say or even guess which disasters that are occurring here on earth right now are brought about by the will of God in order to punish the people who are affected.

When people are suffering from the effects of such destruction as in the case of the recent 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, about which I have been reporting in recent posts, giving details on relief brought to the people there by other people from many different places, including members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah (U.S.A.); our business is not to judge why the destruction occurred, but instead, it is to do all within our power and means to assist those who are suffering!

In Chapter 9 of 3Nephi (Book of Mormon) are recorded the words of our Resurrected Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to the more righteous Nephites who were saved from destruction during which huge numbers of deaths occurred within their nation (including the deaths of relatives of many of them). Many cities were totally wiped out!

After your having listened to and read that scriptural link, no further explanation is needed about what the Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ actually told the Nephites as to why a huge number of their nation were destroyed; while the rest of them, the more righteous, were saved and then visited by Him who initiated that destruction!

That which was described in that scriptural link is a perfect example of the THEME of this particular post: Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ are one in all things! Only when we choose to put ourselves in their hands and do what they have commanded us to do, can we be perfectly sure and confident that our lives will have been worth living when our time to leave this life comes. We can also be assured that we will be the recipients of a glorious resurrection which will allow us to live with our righteous loved ones and with our God eternally! (See Doctrine and Covenants 76)

The Presence of Mankind Upon the Earth Was Not Brought About By Evolution, It was Brought About By Our Heavenly Father for His Eternal Purposes!

As we finish this post, I want you to be reassured in a very positive way of the potential happiness life can bring. I can help you with this because each of us, you and I, are blessed with the great blessing of having access to the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ along with the other marvelous and sacred scriptures, the Old and New Testaments and also with additional Latter-day scriptures revealed by his prophets in our day and age of the world's history, along with the words of inspired living modern day prophets!



Christ and the Book of Mormon Children and Angels from Heaven -by Del Parson

After effective preparation by the Lord Jesus Christ and the effective follow-up leadership on the part of the twelve apostles whom He had ordained and assigned to lead his people, each of nine of his Nephite apostles served faithfully and well, and when they each reached the age of seventy two, as Jesus had promised, their spirits passed on to the other side of the "veil." They were each replaced with another righteous man to take their place as they continued to develop a near perfect society where there was much happiness and peace.



The Resurrected Jesus Speaks With Three Nephite Apostles

Three of those twelve apostles had requested of Jesus Christ that they be allowed to remain living and serving His people until the Second Coming of their (and our) Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus caused a change to take place in each of them so they would not suffer death or pain, except for the emotional and spiritual pain they were to feel as they viewed people living in wickedness!

This perfect society lasted for about two hundred years. But then the Nephites began to live less and less as the Savior had taught them to live and more and more as Satan tempted them to live.

However, the Lord had promised that through the Book of Mormon which would be brought forth in our day, their descendants, the Lamanites in the Americas, would once again be taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and many of them would come back into His fold.

Just an afterthought: I note that the young girl who wrote that note on the blackboard (shown above) has been helped so sensitively by "human angels" in the form of kindly and caring investigators of the Childrens' Justice Center in the Salt Lake City, Utah area, that she must have experienced to some degree, the kind of feelings felt by the Nephite children shown with our Resurrected Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and angels from heaven in one of the paintings above!

At least, she who wrote the message on the blackboard shown above,  expressed sincere appreciation for her interviewers having listened patiently to her in her time of great affliction!

Now dear readers of this blog post, I will just briefly mention that the righteousness of the Nephite-Lamanite nation described in the scripture just above, during their about two hundred years of righteous living, is something we would all do well to emulate in our lives. In so doing we will avoid destruction that can come because of unrighteousness and we will be blessed with eternal life with Jesus Christ and with our loved ones living now and those who have passed on before!

The Lord, Jesus Christ, through his ancient American prophet Moroni, gives a stern warning to those of us who have lived previously or live now in what was Moroni's and his people's promised land which we know as the Americas.

In view of what we have reviewed in this post about the major known examples of destruction that has come upon the peoples of this earth beginning with Noah's time and on down throughout history, we should each take great care to follow Moroni's firm and sure pleading:

Ether 2: 8 And he (the pre-mortal Jesus Christ) had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them.

9 And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.

10 For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off.

11 And this cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles (us), that ye may know the decrees of God—that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.

12 Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written. (emphasis and clarification added)

I must also mention that it is necessary to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is Heavenly Father's and Jesus' only authorized church, in order to be blessed to live with both of them along with our beloved family members, both those now living and those who are now among the dead, in what is termed: Eternal Life. Then of course, after baptism into their church, we must live righteously in dedicated service to Them and our fellow-man for the rest of our lives!

Then when the Great Day of the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior comes upon us, (and it could come during some of our lifetimes) we can be caught up into the air to be greeted by Him and His resurrected Saints who lived before.

The Second Coming -by Harry Anderson

While those who are resurrected at the second coming of our Lord and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, according to the prophet Malachi, 4:1-3 and the resurrected Jesus Christ, (3 Nephi 25:1-3), after the burning of the earth which will take place just before the Savior and the Hosts of Heaven descend, they will actually have been trodding on the ashes of the unrighteous! A brief note: The Nephites were given the words of Malachi by the Resurrected Jesus Christ. That is why we have access to these same words in two separate scriptural accounts (in the Old Testament and in the Book of Mormon. The Nephite's scriptures, the Brass Plates of Laban, did not contain the writings of Malachi because Malachi's time on earth came after Lehi and his group left Jerusalem on their way to their promised land in ancient Meso-America.

3Nephi 25:1 FOR behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

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

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

In all the centuries before and on the day of the Lord's Second Coming, the unrighteous dead will not have been resurrected. However, through the Lord's great atonement and his love for all mankind, all will be resurrected in their own due time. After they have been allowed to suffer for their own sins, (in cases where that is possible), they too will be resurrected, but not to the highest degree of glory, but to a lesser degree of glory. (Doctrine and Covenants: 76)

Whoa! Don't click out of here now! Don't miss the special information given below which can help those of you who need assistance with addiction recovery of all kinds, at no cost.
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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: Mankind's Presence Upon The Earth Was Not Brought About By Evolution, It Was . . . Post 39s. 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
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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you will find very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post. If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.


If any of you readers find yourselves or other family members or close friends addicted to any substance or sexual behavior, I advise you to click on the long link below, after reading all of this which is highlighted, to find out how you can receive help in LDS Family Services "Addiction Recovery" group meetings at no cost.

This help is widely available throughout the U.S.A. and also in a number of other countries throughout the world including in Finland where I served two missions, the latest of which was with my dear wife, Melva.

Upon clicking on the link below you can discover if such help is available within manageable reach of your home. You are invited to come at the indicated time at the given address, without having made previous arrangements to attend!

Just show up! You will be warmly welcomed!

This service is available to both members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to those of other faiths. No religious proselyting is done whatsoever in these group meetings nor afterwards!

Note: After you have have accessed LDS Family Services choose Addiction Recovery Program, choose: Addiction recovery support groups After you are in that section, look for the area where you live and click on that. That will tell you the location and time for group meetings.

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

39r - Side by Side, Both the Bible and the Book of Mormon Guide Our Lives in the Right Direction!

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



The Bible and the Book of Mormon Testify of Jesus Christ, by -Greg K. Olsen



In both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, we are taught, among many other things, to serve one another!

Galatians 5: 13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Mosiah 2:17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

There are two sections to this post. They are both important. Do not skip the second portion below because it contains a General Conference talk by President Ezra Taft Benson in which he emphasizes the importance of : The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ!

He provided many scriptural references and I have provided links for each and every one of them for you! I suggest you click on every one of those scriptural links. Doing so will increase the impact of your reading of his remarkable talk considerably!

Here is Part One of this Post!
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Service to others brings us true joy!

Service -by Robert Casey

The following Deseret News article is one in a series of reports on Welfare Service provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the entire world, I have been providing you in this blog in the last several months.

Millionaire to begin third tour for charity in Haiti (Published: Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010 in the Deseret News)
by Cynthia Kimball Humphreys

Cynthia Kimball Humphreys is an author, cancer survivor, consultant, speaker, success coach, and trainer. She is a co-founder of Every1Counts, LLC, an organization that helps people and teams find greatness through coaching and training. She has appeared in People magazine, on Comcast Newsmakers and CNN.








Cynthia Kimball Humphreys
For the Deseret News
Published: Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010 4:11 p.m. MST

When JEREMY JOHNSON, 34, of Washington County, was watching the aftermath of the earthquake that ravaged Haiti on his TV, he felt prompted to go there and help, "I have to be there," he remembers thinking.

During an interview with him recently at his home office in St. George, he added, "I'm so glad I did it even though there were many reasons not to do it."

A press release Johnson later e-mailed me tallied the good they'd done. "(Citation X [Johnson's personal plane] ) ... completed 40 missions, carried 254 passengers, including injured children and surgeons, and moved over 25,000 pounds of cargo and supplies," he said, "Our three helicopters flew hundreds of missions and ... moved nearly 100,000 pounds of food, medicine, supplies."

Now on Thursday, Johnson will deploy for his next and third relief tour -- of which I'll be along to document the five-day tour -- with a goal to find a place where he can secure land to eventually build houses.
"They just need basic shelter," he said. They're scared to live in brick houses now. we could take one of their worries away by providing houses. Even a tin hut they would be thankful for."

Johnson's mission is to come up with a plan to build houses, ultimately, before the rainy season. Until then, tent cities may have to suffice.

"They have two basic needs: eat and sleep. If we can take one of those away," he said, shaking his head with emotion after being overcome with thoughts from his two relief tours, "I feel like, what do soldiers have when they come back from war?" he asked.

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?" "Yeah," he says choked up, "but it's not that. It's just that your're not prepared for what you see. There's so much suffering. You just want to stop the hurt so bad."

I sat there watching and listening to this gentle spiritual giant, a man who has it all -- loving and supportive family, a successful Internet business and a self-made millionaire, who uses his own private plane and helicopters to shuttle doctors and supplies into Haiti, and adoptees and the injured out. He reminded me not of the prince who when Christ asked him to give up all his riches and follow him, refused, but of another kind of prince who not only shares his wealth, but time and service and does not hesitate to follow Christ. Not in the least bit.

"None of this stuff means anything aymore," he says, pointing to things around his office and perhaps alluding to his home and even other material possessions.

"We all gave them our extra clothes and our shoes," he says humbly. "We flew back barefoot. Now every time we go there, we need to leave our shoes ... it's a ritual."

Prior to the earthquake, Haitians were a people enabled by world aid. But Johnson's solution is to teach these people self-sufficiency.

Namely, bring young Haitians to Utah, in some kind of foreign exchange program, and teach and train them skills that they can take back to their villages to rebuild the Haitian economy. If all goes as he plans, after first talking to state government officials, he envisions lining up prospective host families and is even in the process of putting an application together.

"Agriculture is key to the future of Haiti. They have to grow food they can eat," he says.

And for those skeptics who wonder why Johnson and others are jet-setting off to help Haitians when they're not providing aid domestically, Johnson's got an answer: "There's so much opportunity in our country. We have a choice. We can at least get a job at somewhere like McDonald's. They don't have a choice. A lot of people there just want an opportunity. They just want a job. They want to work. People beg us for a job."
Johnson alludes to a LDS hymn, (which) says, "Because we have been given much, we too must give," and smiles.

"If we could just realize that our hardships are nothing. It's hard when you heard these words, but when you see it," he said, pausing again because he's overcome with emotion. "How lucky all of us are that we have a government and education and jobs even if they're not the best jobs. Complaining about our next meal or not having hot water, working 60 hours a week — most of the things we complain about are blessings."

Later this week I will be in Haiti following and learning from this man, while documenting our experiences, with plans to leave the Haitian people with not only love and support, but my extra clothes, and shoes, too. I'll then fly home barefoot because it would be rude to break a tradition.

To help with Haitian relief efforts go to Utah Haiti Relief at

www.utahhaitirelief.org/.

Cynthia Kimball Humphreys is a professional speaker and trainer. She writes a column for weekly newspapers in southern Utah and is a southern Utah correspondent for Deseret News. She can be reached at kimball@every1counts.net. Her column, "GR8NESS," appears on deseretnews.com monthly.

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PART 2 OF THIS POST

Most of you readers of my blog are very familiar with the Holy Bible, both the Old and New Testaments. Like most of you, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints treasure both of those scriptures.

In our Church's Sunday School curriculum each of them are focused upon during an entire year (throughout the entire world), wherever the thirteen million plus members of this church reside. Study materials are provided by the Church in a huge number of different languages. It is surprising to learn how technologically adept this church is in meeting the needs of its members wherever they may live and whatever language they may speak.

Actually, the Old Testament is our focus throughout the entire year of 2010. The New Testament will be the focus of this church during 2011. The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ will also be an important focus during this series of annual curriculum focusing, as will be our Doctrine and Covenants, including our Church History.

Because many of you viewers of this blog are very aware of the importance of the Holy Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, I would now like you learn the importance of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, important, not only to members of our church, but also, to all people throughout the earth.

Please keep in mind as you read this following LDS Church General Conference Speech of a former prophet, president of the church to which I belong, that he, former President Benson, although emphasizing the importance of the Book of Mormon, also greatly values both the Old and New Testaments.

I have copied a foot note I placed at the end of President Benson's talk, right here so that you can know something about his personal distinguished history.

I should add that he grew up on a farm in Southern Idaho. He was a very successful farmer there and was professionally involved with the State of Idaho in the important function of state government in helping agriculture to succeed. Here is my footnote that I've transposed here for your convenience!

*Ezra Taft Benson, (now deceased), served for about seven or eight years as the Secretary of Agriculture of the Government of the United States of America under the leadership of U.S.A president, Dwight W. Eisenhower while on leave as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He later served as the President of that Church until his death.

Ezra Taft Benson, “The Book of Mormon—Keystone of Our Religion,” Ensign, Nov 1986, p 4

In my opinion this is one of the most important talks ever given in a general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

My beloved brethren and sisters, today I would like to speak about one of the most significant gifts given to the world in modern times. The gift I am thinking of is more important than any of the inventions that have come out of the industrial and technological revolutions. This is a gift of greater value to mankind than even the many wonderful advances we have seen in modern medicine. It is of greater worth to mankind than the development of flight or space travel. I speak of the gift of the Book of Mormon, given to mankind 156 years ago. (emphasis by highlighting was added by this blogger.)

This gift was prepared by the hand of the Lord over a period of more than a thousand years, then hidden up by Him so that it would be preserved in its purity for our generation. Perhaps there is nothing that testifies more clearly of the importance of this modern book of scripture than what the Lord Himself has said about it.

By His own mouth He has borne witness (1) that it is true D. and C. 17:6  (2) that it contains the truth and His words D. and C. 19:26, (3) that it was translated by power from on high D. and C. 20:8 (4) that it contains the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ D. and C.20: 9, D. and C. 42:12, (5) that it was given by inspiration and confirmed by the ministering of angels D. and C. 20:10, (6) that it gives evidence that the holy scriptures are true D. and C. 20:11, and (7) that those who receive it in faith shall receive eternal life D. and C. 20:14.

A second powerful testimony to the importance of the Book of Mormon is to note where the Lord placed its coming forth in the timetable of the unfolding Restoration. The only thing that preceded it was the First Vision. In that marvelous manifestation, the Prophet Joseph Smith learned the true nature of God and that God had a work for him to do. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon was the next thing to follow.

Think of that in terms of what it implies. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon preceded the restoration of the priesthood. It was published just a few days before the Church was organized. The Saints were given the Book of Mormon to read before they were given the revelations outlining such great doctrines as the three degrees of glory, celestial marriage, or work for the dead. It came before priesthood quorums and Church organization. Doesn’t this tell us something about how the Lord views this sacred work?

Once we realize how the Lord feels about this book, it should not surprise us that He also gives us solemn warnings about how we receive it. After indicating that those who receive the Book of Mormon with faith, working righteousness, will receive a crown of eternal glory (see D. and C. 20:14, the Lord follows with this warning: “But those who harden their hearts in unbelief, and reject it, it shall turn to their own condemnation” D. and C. 20:15.

In 1829, the Lord warned the Saints that they are not to trifle with sacred things D. and C. 6:12. Surely the Book of Mormon is a sacred thing, and yet many trifle with it, or in other words, take it lightly, treat it as though it is of little importance.

In 1832, as some early missionaries returned from their fields of labor, the Lord reproved them for treating the Book of Mormon lightly. As a result of that attitude, he said, their minds had been darkened. Not only had treating this sacred book lightly brought a loss of light to themselves, it had also brought the whole Church under condemnation, even all the children of Zion. And then the Lord said, “And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon” D. and C. 84:54-57.

Has the fact that we have had the Book of Mormon with us for over a century and a half made it seem less significant to us today? Do we remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon? In the Bible we have the Old Testament and the New Testament. The word testament is the English rendering of a Greek word that can also be translated as covenant. Is this what the Lord meant when He called the Book of Mormon the “new covenant”? It is indeed another testament or witness of Jesus. This is one of the reasons why we have recently added the words “Another Testament of Jesus Christ” to the title of the Book of Mormon. (Emphasis by Highlighting was added by this blogger.)

If the early Saints were rebuked for treating the Book of Mormon lightly, are we under any less condemnation if we do the same? The Lord Himself bears testimony that it is of eternal significance. Can a small number of us bring the whole Church under condemnation because we trifle with sacred things? What will we say at the Judgment when we stand before Him and meet His probing gaze if we are among those described as forgetting the new covenant?

There are three great reasons why Latter-day Saints should make the study of the Book of Mormon a lifetime pursuit.

The first is that the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. This was the Prophet Joseph Smith’s statement. He testified that “the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion” (Introduction to the Book of Mormon). A keystone is the central stone in an arch. It holds all the other stones in place, and if removed, the arch crumbles.

There are three ways in which the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. It is the keystone in our witness of Christ. It is the keystone of our doctrine. It is the keystone of testimony.

The Book of Mormon is the keystone in our witness of Jesus Christ, who is Himself the cornerstone of everything we do. It bears witness of His reality with power and clarity. Unlike the Bible, which passed through generations of copyists, translators, and corrupt religionists who tampered with the text, the Book of Mormon came from writer to reader in just one inspired step of translation. Therefore, its testimony of the Master is clear, undiluted, and full of power. But it does even more. Much of the Christian world today rejects the divinity of the Savior. They question His miraculous birth, His perfect life, and the reality of His glorious resurrection. The Book of Mormon teaches in plain and unmistakable terms about the truth of all of those. It also provides the most complete explanation of the doctrine of the Atonement. Truly, this divinely inspired book is a keystone in bearing witness to the world that Jesus is the Christ (see title page of the Book of Mormon).

The Book of Mormon is also the keystone of the doctrine of the Resurrection. As mentioned before, the Lord Himself has stated that the Book of Mormon contains the “fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ” D. and C. 20:9. That does not mean it contains every teaching, every doctrine ever revealed. Rather, it means that in the Book of Mormon we will find the fulness of those doctrines required for our salvation. And they are taught plainly and simply so that even children can learn the ways of salvation and exaltation. The Book of Mormon offers so much that broadens our understandings of the doctrines of salvation. Without it, much of what is taught in other scriptures would not be nearly so plain and precious.

Finally, the Book of Mormon is the keystone of testimony. Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the Church stand or fall with the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. The enemies of the Church understand this clearly. This is why they go to such great lengths to try to disprove the Book of Mormon, for if it can be discredited, the Prophet Joseph Smith goes with it. So does our claim to priesthood keys, and revelation, and the restored Church. But in like manner, if the Book of Mormon be true—and millions have now testified that they have the witness of the Spirit that it is indeed true—then one must accept the claims of the Restoration and all that accompanies it.

Yes, my beloved brothers and sisters, the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion—the keystone of our testimony, the keystone of our doctrine, and the keystone in the witness of our Lord and Savior.

The second great reason why we must make the Book of Mormon a center focus of study is that it was written for our day. The Nephites never had the book; neither did the Lamanites of ancient times. It was meant for us. Mormon wrote near the end of the Nephite civilization. Under the inspiration of God, who sees all things from the beginning, he abridged centuries of records, choosing the stories, speeches, and events that would be most helpful to us.

Each of the major writers of the Book of Mormon testified that he wrote for future generations. Nephi said: “The Lord God promised unto me that these things which I write shall be kept and preserved, and handed down unto my seed, from generation to generation” 2 Ne 25:21. His brother Jacob, who succeeded him, wrote similar words: “For [Nephi] said that the history of his people should be engraven upon his other plates, and that I should preserve these plates and hand them down unto my seed, from generation to generation” Jacob 1:3. Enos and Jarom both indicated that they too were writing not for their own peoples but for future generations See Enos 1: 15-16 and Jarom 1:2

Mormon himself said, “Yea, I speak unto you, ye remnant of the house of Israel” (Morm. 7: 1) And Moroni, the last of the inspired writers, actually saw our day and time. “Behold,” he said, “the Lord hath shown unto me great and marvelous things concerning that which must shortly come, at that day when these things shall come forth among you.

“Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing” Mormon 8:34-35.

If they saw our day and chose those things which would be of greatest worth to us, is not that how we should study the Book of Mormon? We should constantly ask ourselves, “Why did the Lord inspire Mormon (or Moroni or Alma) to include that in his record? What lesson can I learn from that to help me live in this day and age?”

And there is example after example of how that question will be answered. For example, in the Book of Mormon we find a pattern for preparing for the Second Coming. A major portion of the book centers on the few decades just prior to Christ’s coming to America. By careful study of that time period, we can determine why some were destroyed in the terrible judgments that preceded His coming and what brought others to stand at the temple in the land of Bountiful and thrust their hands into the wounds of His hands and feet.

From the Book of Mormon we learn how disciples of Christ live in times of war. From the Book of Mormon we see the evils of secret combinations portrayed in graphic and chilling reality. In the Book of Mormon we find lessons for dealing with persecution and apostasy. We learn much about how to do missionary work. And more than anywhere else, we see in the Book of Mormon the dangers of materialism and setting our hearts on the things of the world. Can anyone doubt that this book was meant for us and that in it we find great power, great comfort, and great protection?

The third reason why the Book of Mormon is of such value to Latter-day Saints is given in the same statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith cited previously. He said, “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (History of the Church, 4:461). That is the third reason for studying the book. It helps us draw nearer to God. Is there not something deep in our hearts that longs to draw nearer to God, to be more like Him in our daily walk, to feel His presence with us constantly? If so, then the Book of Mormon will help us do so more than any other book.

It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called “the words of life” D. and C. 84:85, and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance.

Our beloved brother, President Marion G. Romney, who celebrated his eighty-ninth birthday last month and who knows of himself of the power that resides in this book, testified of the blessings that can come into the lives of those who will read and study the Book of Mormon. He said:

“I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness” (Ensign, May 1980, p. 67).

These promises—increased love and harmony in the home, greater respect between parent and child, increased spirituality and righteousness—are not idle promises, but exactly what the Prophet Joseph Smith meant when he said the Book of Mormon will help us draw nearer to God.

Brethren and sisters, I implore you with all my heart that you consider with great solemnity the importance of the Book of Mormon to you personally and to the Church collectively.

Over ten years ago I made the following statement regarding the Book of Mormon:

“Do eternal consequences rest upon our response to this book? Yes, either to our blessing or our condemnation.

“Every Latter-day Saint should make the study of this book a lifetime pursuit. Otherwise he is placing his soul in jeopardy and neglecting that which could give spiritual and intellectual unity to his whole life. There is a difference between a convert who is built on the rock of Christ through the Book of Mormon and stays hold of that iron rod, and one who is not” (Ensign, May 1975, p. 65).

I reaffirm those words to you this day. Let us not remain under condemnation, with its scourge and judgment, by treating lightly this great and marvelous gift the Lord has given to us. Rather, let us win the promises associated with treasuring it up in our hearts.

In the Doctrine and Covenants, section 84, verses 54 to 58, we read:

“And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—

“Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.

“And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.

“And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written—

“That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion.” D. and C. 84:54-58.

Since last general conference, I have received many letters from Saints, both young and old, from all over the world who accepted the challenge to read and study the Book of Mormon.

I have been thrilled by their accounts of how their lives have been changed and how they have drawn closer to the Lord as a result of their commitment. These glorious testimonies have reaffirmed to my soul the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith that the Book of Mormon is truly “the keystone of our religion” and that a man and woman will “get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

This is my prayer, that the Book of Mormon may become the keystone of our lives, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

*Ezra Taft Benson, (now deceased), served for about seven or eight years as the Secretary of Agriculture of the Government of the United States of America while serving concurrently as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He later served as the President of that Church until his death.

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Unselfish Service (a Mormon Messages Video)

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