35t - The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Jaron and Aaron Bear Witness of Jesus Christ.

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 BOOK OF MORMON, ANOTHER TESTAMENT OF JESUS CHRIST

Christ with Children -by Del Parson

Jarom 399 B.C.

Jarom 1:9 And thus being prepared to meet the Lamanites, they did not prosper against us. But the word of the Lord was verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: Inasmuch as ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land.

10 And it came to pass that the prophets of the Lord did threaten the people of Nephi, according to the word of God, that if they did not keep the commandments, but should fall into transgression, they should be destroyed from off the face of the land.

11 Wherefore, the prophets, and the priests, and the teachers, did labor diligently, exhorting with all long-suffering the people to diligence; teaching the law of Moses, and the intent for which it was given; persuading them to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he already was. And after this manner did they teach them.

12 And it came to pass that by so doing they kept them from being destroyed upon the face of the land; for they did prick their hearts with the word, continually stirring them up unto repentance. (emphasis added)

Aaron, one of the sons of King Mosiah (90-77B.C.)

Aaron, one of the four sons of king Mosiah was a valiant missionary serving with his three brothers, Ammon, Himni and Omner on a very challenging and yet, very successful mission to the Lamanites.

Alma 21: 9 Now Aaron began to open the scriptures unto them concerning the coming of Christ, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and that there could be no redemption for mankind save it were through the death and sufferings of Christ, and the atonement of his blood.

10 And it came to pass as he began to expound these things unto them they were angry with him, and began to mock him; and they would not hear the words which he spake.

As you learned in my post 35q (April 24, 2009) these four sons of the king had been converted from their ways of wickedness through the appearance and a reprimand by an angel of the Lord. I show this picture again that I showed in that previous post.

An Angel Reprimands Alma the younger and the Four Sons of King Mosiah -by Gary Kapp

 

In the painting above is depicted Aaron and his three brothers, Alma the Younger is the person pictured, toward whom the angel appears to be pointing. Alma is the most prostrate of the five friends shown in this vivid scene.

In my opinion, the testimony of Alma the Younger is one of the most striking and convincing testimonies of our savior, Jesus Christ found in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. I quoted nineteen verses from Alma, Chapter 36 in my post 35b, but have chosen to focus on these eight verses from that same chapter here because it is such a fervent testimony of Jesus Christ!

Alma the Younger (about 73 B.C.)

Alma 36: 16 And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul.

17 And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.

18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.

19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.

20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!

21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.

22 Yea, methought I saw, even as
our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and praising their God; yea, and my soul did long to be there.

23 But behold, my limbs did receive their strength again, and I stood upon my feet, and did manifest unto the people that I had been born of God.

Alma the Younger and Amulek (about 78 B.C.)

Alma, 16:20 And many of the people did inquire concerning the place where the Son of God should come; and they were taught that he would appear unto them after his resurrection; and this the people did hear with great joy and gladness. (emphasis added)

Helaman, (About 30 B.C.) son of Alma the younger, father of Nephi and Lehi

Helaman 5:9-12

9 O remember, remember, my sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world.

10 And remember also the words which Amulek spake unto Zeezrom, in the city of Ammonihah; for he said unto him that the Lord surely should come to redeem his people, but that he should not come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins.

11 And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance, which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls.

12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

The Resurrected Savior's own testimony of His role (in about A.D 34-35) to the Nephite people in the Western Hemisphere.


The Resurrected Savior Jesus Christ Testifies to the Nephites in Central America A.D. 34 -by John Scott

 III Nephi 27:13 Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.

14 And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—

15 And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works.

16 And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world.

17 And he that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more return, because of the justice of the Father. (emphasis added)



Moroni Prays Before Burying the Plates of Gold on Which the Book of Mormon was Engraven -by Tom Lovell

(The Rest of the Testimonies of Jesus Christ I, Neil Birch found in the Book of Mormon) - Post 35t.

Ether, (Reported by the prophet, Moroni, son of Mormon.

Ether 13:4 Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake
concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land (to be built in what is the state of Missouri of the United States of America)

5 And he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come—after it should be destroyed it should be built up again, a holy city unto the Lord; wherefore, it could not be a new Jerusalem for it had been in a time of old; but it should be built up again, and become a holy city of the Lord; and it should be built unto the house of Israel.

6 And that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type.

7 For as Joseph brought his father down into the land of Egypt, even so he died there; wherefore, the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph that they should perish not, even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph that he should perish not. (emphasis and clarification added)

I add this scripture written by the prophet, Moroni.

Moroni (about A.D. 421) Moroni 10:32-34

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.


33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

34 And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen. (emphasis added)

Now, this is the final testimony that Jesus is the Christ that I found. I remembered it just before finishing this post. It is found in the two paragraphs of the Title Page of the Book of Mormon. It was written by the prophet, Moroni, son of the prophet, Mormon.

1 Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile—Written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation—Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed—To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof—Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile—The
interpretation thereof by the gift of God.

2 An abridgment taken from the Book of Ether also, which is a record of the people of Jared, who were scattered at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, when they were building a tower to get to heaven—Which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations—And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ. (emphasis added)

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I have done my best, in the time I had, in searching for prophetic testimonies of Jesus Christ and thus end my series: The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ which comprises my posts, 35a through 35t.

There is a possibility I may have overlooked other testimonies of our Savior that are found in the Book of Mormon. There may be testimonies that appeared to be inferences of the truth that Jesus is the Christ and I therefore perhaps ignored them or perhaps I didn't notice them.

If you feel so inclined, I invite you to check through the following list of scriptures I have found and used in posts 35a through 35t, then check to see if you can find, by any means at your disposal, any that I failed to include. Please report any such verses that you find, to me using my e-mail address which is found in the very last section of this post. I will report your find along with your name (if you give me permission to do so) in a future post of mine.

THE REST OF THE TESTIMONIES

OF JESUS CHRIST WHICH I FOUND:

35a: II Nephi 29: 1-14. 35b: Alma 45:2-12; Alma 36:6-25. 35c: Ether 3:6-14. 35d: II Nephi 2: 2-10. 35e: II Nephi 25: 20-21. 35f: I Nephi 11:1-36; I Nephi 8:1-38. 35g: II Nephi 33:1-15; II Nephi 31:5-13. 35h: Jacob 1:7-8; II Nephi 9:40-43; II Nephi 10:1-5; II Nephi 3:1-31; I Nephi 4:1-37; I Nephi 5:1-22. 35i: Enos 1:1-27. My Special Easter Season Post follows post 35i. 35j: Mosiah 3:1-21; III Nephi 13:35; Moroni: 10:3-5. 35k: Mosiah 4:1-30. 35l: Omni 1:23, 26; Helaman 8:13-24. 35m: Mosiah 3:18-19; Mosiah 5:10-12. 35n: Mosiah 16:1-15; Mosiah 15: 1-31; Mosiah 5: 2-5. 35o: Mosiah 14:1-12. 35p: Helaman 13:2-4; Helaman 14:2-9; Helaman 16:1-4. 35q: Alma 17:26-39; Alma 18:1-43; Alma 19:1-36; Alma 24:5-10. 35r: Alma 8:18-32; Alma 34:1-41. 35s: I Nephi 11:1-7; I Nephi 11:21-23; I Nephi 1:8-9; Omni 1:25-26; Helaman 8:13-20. 35t: Jarom 1:9-12; Alma 21:9; Alma 36:16-23; Alma 16:20; Helaman 5:9-21; III Nephi 27:13-17; Ether 13:4-7; Moroni 10:32-34; Alma 16:20; Helaman 5:9-12; III Nephi 27:13-17; Ether 13:4-7. Moroni 10:32-34; Book of Mormon Title Page.

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DISCLAIMER

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

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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or An Item Which Refers To Any Other Blog Post You May Desire To Access): After Reading All of This Paragraph Please Click on the Following:  Testimonies of Jesus Christ Found in the Book of Mormon -Post 35t. When You See the Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy, Please, Scroll Down To Your Target Item Or Use The Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed.)

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"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

35s - The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Father Lehi Bears Witness of Jesus Christ! Omni and Others Also Bear Witness!

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

Lehi's  Tree of Life Vision -by Jerry Thompson

I Nephi 11: 1 FOR it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot.

2 And the Spirit said unto me: Behold, what desirest thou?

3 And I said: I desire to behold the things which my father saw.

4 And the Spirit said unto me: Believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he hath spoken?

5 And I said: Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father.

6 And when I had spoken these words, the Spirit cried with a loud voice, saying: Hosanna to the Lord, the most high God; for he is God over all the earth, yea, even above all. And blessed art thou, Nephi, because thou believest in the Son of the most high God; wherefore, thou shalt behold the things which thou hast desired.

7 And behold this thing shall be given unto thee for a sign, that after thou hast beheld the tree which bore the fruit which thy father tasted, thou shalt also behold a man descending out of heaven, and him shall ye witness; and after ye have witnessed him ye shall bear record that it is the Son of God. (emphasis added)

Those were the words of the prophet Nephi, fourth oldest son of the prophet Lehi. Below is a picture of Nephi as a young man on his trek along with his father and the rest of the family and some friends, to their Promised Land in the Western Hemisphere. Below the picture are additional words spoken by the Spirit of the Lord to Nephi:

Nephi Crossing the Arabian Desert  -by Scott Snow

I Nephi 11: 21 And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?

22 And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.

23 And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul. (emphasis added)

Thus Nephi became a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the eighteen posts in this series of posts entitled: "The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ" I included those three verses of Nephi's earlier in post 35f. I also led you to the testimonies of many additional prophets whose words of testimony of Jesus Christ are recorded in the Book of Mormon.

Actually, I inadvertently overlooked including in my list of prophecies of Christ, the first prophecy found of Him in the Book of Mormon which was made by Nephi's father, Lehi and recorded by Nephi. It is found in the very first chapter of the Book of Mormon. It is in the book of I Nephi which was written by Lehi's son, Nephi. It is as follows:

Lehi Preaching in Jerusalem -by Del Parson

Although Lehi did not mention the name of the one he saw whose luster was "above that of the sun at noon-day," it is clear, however, that He, about whom he, Lehi, was speaking was Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World, as he mentioned the twelve others following him, who we can easily determine were the future Twelve Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ

I Nephi 1: 8 And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God.

9 And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day.

10 And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament. (emphasis added)

In this post, 35s, I hope to record all of the rest of the testimonies of Jesus Christ that I have discovered in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. I may not have room for all of those so possibly I would need to use one more post. I'm quite sure I still will have overlooked other individuals mentioned in the Book of Mormon who testified of Christ. By the way, The word, Jesus, is mentioned in that book a phenomenal number of times.

The point of all of this is that the Book of Mormon is very truly and surely, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. It stands side by side with the New Testament in bearing witness to that splendiferous truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God! Forgive me for getting carried away about this great truth by brightening up that long, but meaningful word. (In case English is not your native language, my 1953 Webster's Collegiate Dictionary tells its meaning: splendiferous: splendid, gorgeous.)

Now, here come the rest of the testimonies of Jesus Christ that I found in this book of books, The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. That is, if they all fit well into this post, 35s, if not that will be a part of post 35t.

Amaleki, son of Abinadom, (279 to 130 B.C.)

Omni: 1: 25 And it came to pass that I began to be old; and, having no seed, and knowing king Benjamin to be a just man before the Lord, wherefore, I shall deliver up these plates unto him, exhorting all men to come unto God, the Holy One of Israel, and believe in prophesying, and in revelations, and in the ministering of angels, and in the gift of speaking with tongues, and in the gift of interpreting languages, and in all things which are good; for there is nothing which is good save it comes from the Lord; and that which is evil cometh from the devil.

26 And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved. (emphasis added)

Here is another sure testimony of Jesus Christ.
Nephi, son of Nephi, son of Helaman (About 23-20 B.C.)

Helaman 8: 13 But, behold, ye not only deny my words, but ye also deny all the words which have been spoken by our fathers, and also the words which were spoken by this man, Moses, who had such great power given unto him, yea, the words which he hath spoken concerning the coming of the Messiah.

14 Yea, did he not bear record that the Son of God should come? And as he lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come.

15 And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal. (emphasis added)



Moses and the Children of Israel Gaze Upon the Brazen Serpent Which Represents Jesus Christ -by Judith Mehr



16 And now behold, Moses did not only testify of these things, but also all the holy prophets, from his days even to the days of Abraham.

17 Yea, and behold, Abraham saw of his coming, and was filled with gladness and did rejoice.



Abraham Prepares to Sacrifice His Son, Isaac -by Del Parson



18 Yea, and behold I say unto you, that Abraham not only knew of these things, but there were many before the days of Abraham who were called by the order of God; yea, even after the order of his Son; and this that it should be shown unto the people, a great many thousand years before his coming, that even redemption should come unto them.



Adam and Eve Teaching Their Children -by Del Parson



Noah Telling People About the Coming Flood -by Harry Anderson

20 And behold, also Zenock*, and also Ezias, and also Isaiah, and Jeremiah, (Jeremiah being that same prophet who testified of the destruction of Jerusalem) and now we know that Jerusalem was destroyed according to the words of Jeremiah. O then why not the Son of God come, according to his prophecy? (The prophets' names marked with an * are prophets before Father Lehi's times whose records were on the Plates of Brass which Lehi's sons obtained from Jerusalem through challenging circumstances. They are some of the records of prophets' words that are not found in our Old Testament.) (emphasis added)



City of Zion Translated -by Del Parson



19 And now I would that ye should know, that even since the days of Abraham there have been many prophets that have testified these things; yea, behold, the prophet Zenos* did testify boldly; for the which he was slain.

Painting: Carl Heinrich Bloch

Jesus was Born to Mary -by Carl Heinrich Bloch

I have decided that there is most likely enough for you in this post already even though I have additional prophetic testimonies of Jesus Christ to tell you about. You will have the opportunity of learning of them in my post: 35t which will be published in about three days.

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




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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or An Item Which Refers To Any Other Blog Post You May Desire To Access): After Reading All of This Paragraph Please Click on the Following: (Eight of Many Other) Testimonies of Jesus Christ. - Post 35s. When You See the Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy, Please, Scroll Down To Your Target Item Or Use The Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed.)

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"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

35r - The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Inactive Member of God's Church, Amulek Regains His Testimony. He Preaches Mightily. Is Alma's Missionary Companion.

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

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Preparation for TODAY'S THEME:

Amulek who had not been active in the Lord's work was called by an Angel of the Lord , in about 74 B.C. to be a missionary companion to Alma the Younger. Here is the account of Amulek's call:

Alma 8:18 Now it came to pass that after Alma had received his message from the angel of the Lord he returned speedily to the land of Ammonihah. And he entered the city by another way, yea, by the way which is on the south of the city of Ammonihah.

19 And as he entered the city he was an hungered, and he said to a man: Will ye give to an humble servant of God something to eat?

20 And the man said unto him: I am a Nephite, and I know that thou art a holy prophet of God, for thou art the man whom an angel said in a vision: Thou shalt receive. Therefore, go with me into my house and I will impart unto thee of my food; and I know that thou wilt be a blessing unto me and my house.

21 And it came to pass that the man received him into his house; and the man was called Amulek; and he brought forth bread and meat and set before Alma.

22 And it came to pass that Alma ate bread and was filled; and he blessed Amulek and his house, and he gave thanks unto God.

23 And after he had eaten and was filled he said unto Amulek: I am Alma, and am the high priest over the church of God throughout the land.

24 And behold, I have been called to preach the word of God among all this people, according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy; and I was in this land and they would not receive me, but they cast me out and I was about to set my back towards this land forever.

25 But behold, I have been commanded that I should turn again and prophesy unto this people, yea, and to testify against them concerning their iniquities.

26 And now, Amulek, because thou hast fed me and taken me in, thou art blessed; for I was an hungered, for I had fasted many days.

27 And Alma tarried many days with Amulek before he began to preach unto the people.

28 And it came to pass that the people did wax more gross in their iniquities.

29 And the word came to Alma, saying: Go; and also say unto my servant Amulek, go forth and prophesy unto this people, saying—Repent ye, for thus saith the Lord, except ye repent I will visit this people in mine anger; yea, and I will not turn my fierce anger away.

30 And Alma went forth, and also Amulek, among the people, to declare the words of God unto them; and they were filled with the Holy Ghost.

31 And they had power given unto them, insomuch that they could not be confined in dungeons; neither was it possible that any man could slay them; nevertheless they did not exercise their power until they were bound in bands and cast into prison. Now, this was done that the Lord might show forth his power in them.

32 And it came to pass that they went forth and began to preach and to prophesy unto the people, according to the spirit and power which the Lord had given them. (highlighted italics added for emphasis)

Later, Alma and Amulek taught the Zoramites (dissenters from the Nephites) in a land they called, Antionum.

I, Neil Birch, invite the readers of this blog post to read the sermon given by Amulek who had been called by an angel of the Lord to assist the prophet, Alma the Younger, in teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Zoramites in Antionum. This scripture  is: (Listening will work for you.)

TODAY'S THEME

Now, dear readers, you have learned by reading and listening to that scripture this chapter of the Book of Alma, a sub-book of The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ is the text of a sermon given by Amulek who before he met Alma with the guidance of an holy Angel, was not actively living according to his religious beliefs.

In order to assist you to absorb and understand Amulek's very great sermon in the Land, Antionum, you have just read and listened to, I have now brought selected verses to the screen.

I will give emphasis to points made by Amulek in these selected verses by using highlighted italics. I will also make clarifying comments which will also be in italics. I have also included pictures which are intended to help clarify the great teachings Amulek taught:

8 And now, behold, I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

9 For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.



Alter of Burnt Offerings



10 For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.

The Son of God is Sacrificed -by Harry Anderson

You have just read Amulek's witness of the atonement and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the essence of TODAY'S THEME however, Amulek's witness of Christ continues:



Moses Shows the Children of Israel the Brazen Serpent Which represents the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ -by Judith Mehr



You have just read Amulek's witness of the atonement and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the essence of TODAY'S THEME however, Amulek's witness continues:

11 Now there is not any man that can sacrifice his own blood which will atone for the sins of another. Now, if a man murdereth, behold will our law, which is just, take the life of his brother? I say unto you, Nay.

12 But the law requireth the life of him who hath murdered; therefore there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world.

13 Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away. (emphasis added.)

14 And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal.

15 And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.

16 And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption.



Man in Prayer -by Rembrandt



Return of the Sheep Flock -by Anton Mauve



20 Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks.

21 Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening.

22 Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies.

23 Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.



Jesus Casts Out Satan -by Carl Heinrich Bloch



Begin to call Upon His Holy Name

17 Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;

18 Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.

19 Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him. . .

24 Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.

25 Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.

26 But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. (emphasis added)

Jesus Praying in the Wilderness -by Ron DiCianni

27 Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.

28 And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.

29 Therefore, if ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross, which the refiners do cast out, (it being of no worth) and is trodden under foot of men.

(I Kings 17: 10 So he (Elijah) arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.

12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.

15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. (emphasis added)



Charity Never Faileth -by Elspeth Young



Alma 34: 30 And now, my brethren, I would that, after ye have received so many witnesses, seeing that the holy scriptures testify of these things, ye come forth and bring fruit unto repentance.

31 Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you.

32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.

35 For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.


36 And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell; yea, and he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb.


37 And now, my beloved brethren, I desire that ye should remember these things, and that ye should work out your salvation with fear before God, and that ye should no more deny the coming of Christ;


38 That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.


39 Yea, and I also exhort you, my brethren, that ye be watchful unto prayer continually, that ye may not be led away by the temptations of the devil, that he may not overpower you, that ye may not become his subjects at the last day; for behold, he rewardeth you no good thing.


40 And now my beloved brethren, I would exhort you to have patience, and that ye bear with all manner of afflictions; that ye do not revile against those who do cast you out because of your exceeding poverty, lest ye become sinners like unto them;


41 But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions. (emphasis added)



Christ and the Rich Young Ruler -by Heinrich Hofmann

 Mark 10: 21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

Amulek, reactivated to faithfulness to God through the visit of an angel and missionary companionship with the prophet Alma, showed such rapid growth in his ability to serve the Lord. What a powerful, effective sermon did he deliver in the Land Antionum. Because he changed his life so completely and endured much tribulation, Amulek has to be one of my most favorite Book of Mormon prophets. He testified so surely of Christ and proved his newfound faithfulness through his service! Here is the appropriate ending to his sermon:

Painting: Greg K. Olsen

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem!

The Savior Bore His Aflictions Perfectly

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



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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or An Item Which Refers To Any Other Blog Post You May Desire To Access): After Reading All of This Paragraph Please Click on the Following: Amulek, Called of God To Be a Missionary Companion to Alma the Younger . . . Strongly Testified of Jesus Christ. - Post 35r. When You See the Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy, Please, Scroll Down To Your Target Item Or Use The Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed.)

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"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

35q - The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, The Successful Mission of Ammon and his brothers!

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

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Preparation for TODAY'S THEME



Ammon Safeguards the Flocks of King Lamoni -by Arnold Friberg

Alma 17: (about 90 B.C.) 26 And after he (Ammon) had been in the service of the king three days, as he was with the Lamanitish servants going forth with their flocks to the place of water, which was called the water of Sebus, and all the Lamanites drive their flocks hither, that they may have water—

27 Therefore, as Ammon and the servants of the king were driving forth their flocks to this place of water, behold, a certain number of the Lamanites, who had been with their flocks to water, stood and scattered the flocks of Ammon and the servants of the king, and they scattered them insomuch that they fled many ways.

28 Now the servants of the king began to murmur, saying: Now the king will slay us, as he has our brethren because their flocks were scattered by the wickedness of these men. And they began to weep exceedingly, saying: Behold, our flocks are scattered already.

29 Now they wept because of the fear of being slain. Now when Ammon saw this his heart was swollen within him with joy; for, said he, I will show forth my power unto these my fellow-servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my fellow-servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words.

30 And now, these were the thoughts of Ammon, when he saw the afflictions of those whom he termed to be his brethren.

31 And it came to pass that he flattered them by his words, saying: My brethren, be of good cheer and let us go in search of the flocks, and we will gather them together and bring them back unto the place of water; and thus we will preserve the flocks unto the king and he will not slay us.

32 And it came to pass that they went in search of the flocks, and they did follow Ammon, and they rushed forth with much swiftness and did head the flocks of the king, and did gather them together again to the place of water.

33 And those men again stood to scatter their flocks; but Ammon said unto his brethren: Encircle the flocks round about that they flee not; and I go and contend with these men who do scatter our flocks.

34 Therefore, they did as Ammon commanded them, and he went forth and stood to contend with those who stood by the waters of Sebus; and they were in number not a few.

35 Therefore they did not fear Ammon, for they supposed that one of their men could slay him according to their pleasure, for they knew not that the Lord had promised Mosiah that he would deliver his sons out of their hands; neither did they know anything concerning the Lord; therefore they delighted in the destruction of their brethren; and for cause they stood to scatter the flocks of the king.

36 But Ammon stood forth and began to cast stones at them with his sling; yea, with mighty power he did sling stones amongst them; and thus he slew a certain number of them insomuch that they began to be astonished at his power; nevertheless they were angry because of the slain of their brethren, and they were determined that he should fall; therefore, seeing that they could not hit him with their stones, they came forth with clubs to slay him. (as in the scene depicted in the painting above illustrates)

37 But behold, every man that lifted his club to smite Ammon, he smote off their arms with his sword; for he did withstand their blows by smiting their arms with the edge of his sword, insomuch that they began to be astonished, and began to flee before him; yea, and they were not few in number; and he caused them to flee by the strength of his arm.

38 Now six of them had fallen by the sling, but he slew none save it were their leader with his sword; and he smote off as many of their arms as were lifted against him, and they were not a few.

39 And when he had driven them afar off, he returned and they watered their flocks and returned them to the pasture of the king, and then went in unto the king, bearing the arms which had been smitten off by the sword of Ammon, of those who sought to slay him; and they were carried in unto the king for a testimony of the things which they had done. (clarification and emphasis added)

Dear Readers, the just previous Book of Mormon scripture was given you to prepare you for:
 

TODAY'S THEME

Remember as you read this account that you look for evidence of Ammon leading King Lamoni to accepting Jesus Christ as his Savior and Redeemer.

Book of Mormon, Alma 18: King Lamoni supposes that Ammon is the Great Spirit—Ammon teaches the king of the creation, of God's dealings with men, and of the redemption that comes through Christ—Lamoni believes and falls to the earth as if dead. About 90 B.C.

Now I will ask you to read several portions of Alma, Chapter 18 

1 AND it came to pass that king Lamoni caused that his servants should stand forth and testify to all the things which they had seen concerning the matter.

2 And when they had all testified to the things which they had seen, and he had learned of the faithfulness of Ammon in preserving his flocks, and also of his great power in contending against those who sought to slay him, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: Surely, this is more than a man. Behold, is not this the Great Spirit who doth send such great punishments upon this people, because of their murders?

3 And they answered the king, and said: Whether he be the Great Spirit or a man, we know not; but this much we do know, that he cannot be slain by the enemies of the king; neither can they scatter the king's flocks when he is with us, because of his expertness and great strength; therefore, we know that he is a friend to the king. And now, O king, we do not believe that a man has such great power, for we know he cannot be slain.

4 And now, when the king heard these words, he said unto them: Now I know that it is the Great Spirit; and he has come down at this time to preserve your lives, that I might not slay you as I did your brethren. Now this is the Great Spirit of whom our fathers have spoken.

5 Now this was the tradition of Lamoni, which he had received from his father, that there was a Great Spirit. Notwithstanding they believed in a Great Spirit they supposed that whatsoever they did was right; nevertheless, Lamoni began to fear exceedingly, with fear lest he had done wrong in slaying his servants;

6 For he had slain many of them because their brethren had scattered their flocks at the place of water; and thus, because they had had their flocks scattered they were slain.

7 Now it was the practice of these Lamanites to stand by the waters of Sebus to scatter the flocks of the people, that thereby they might drive away many that were scattered unto their own land, it being a practice of plunder among them.

8 And it came to pass that king Lamoni inquired of his servants, saying: Where is this man that has such great power?

9 And they said unto him: Behold, he is feeding thy horses. Now the king had commanded his servants, previous to the time of the watering of their flocks, that they should prepare his horses and chariots, and conduct him forth to the land of Nephi; for there had been a great feast appointed at the land of Nephi, by the father of Lamoni, who was king over all the land.

10 Now when king Lamoni heard that Ammon was preparing his horses and his chariots he was more astonished, because of the faithfulness of Ammon, saying: Surely there has not been any servant among all my servants that has been so faithful as this man; for even he doth remember all my commandments to execute them.

11 Now I surely know that this is the Great Spirit, and I would desire him that he come in unto me, but I durst not.

12 And it came to pass that when Ammon had made ready the horses and the chariots for the king and his servants, he went in unto the king, and he saw that the countenance of the king was changed; therefore he was about to return out of his presence.

13 And one of the king's servants said unto him, Rabbanah, which is, being interpreted, powerful or great king, considering their kings to be powerful; and thus he said unto him: Rabbanah, the king desireth thee to stay.

14 Therefore Ammon turned himself unto the king, and said unto him: What wilt thou that I should do for thee, O king? And the king answered him not for the space of an hour, according to their time, for he knew not what he should say unto him.

15 And it came to pass that Ammon said unto him again: What desirest thou of me? But the king answered him not.

16 And it came to pass that Ammon, being filled with the Spirit of God, therefore he perceived the thoughts of the king. And he said unto him: Is it because thou hast heard that I defended thy servants and thy flocks, and slew seven of their brethren with the sling and with the sword, and smote off the arms of others, in order to defend thy flocks and thy servants; behold, is it this that causeth thy marvelings?

17 I say unto you, what is it, that thy marvelings are so great? Behold, I am a man, and am thy servant; therefore, whatsoever thou desirest which is right, that will I do.

18 Now when the king had heard these words, he marveled again, for he beheld that Ammon could discern his thoughts; but notwithstanding this, king Lamoni did open his mouth, and said unto him: Who art thou? Art thou that Great Spirit, who knows all things?

19 Ammon answered and said unto him: I am not.

20 And the king said: How knowest thou the thoughts of my heart? Thou mayest speak boldly, and tell me concerning these things; and also tell me by what power ye slew and smote off the arms of my brethren that scattered my flocks—

21 And now, if thou wilt tell me concerning these things, whatsoever thou desirest I will give unto thee; and if it were needed, I would guard thee with my armies; but I know that thou art more powerful than all they; nevertheless, whatsoever thou desirest of me I will grant it unto thee.

22 Now Ammon being wise, yet harmless, he said unto Lamoni: Wilt thou hearken unto my words, if I tell thee by what power I do these things? And this is the thing that I desire of thee.

23 And the king answered him, and said: Yea, I will believe all thy words. And thus he was caught with guile.

24 And Ammon began to speak unto him with boldness, and said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God?

25 And he answered, and said unto him: I do not know what that meaneth.

26 And then Ammon said: Believest thou that there is a Great Spirit?

27 And he said, Yea.

28 And Ammon said: This is God. And Ammon said unto him again: Believest thou that this Great Spirit, who is God, created all things which are in heaven and in the earth?

29 And he said: Yea, I believe that he created all things which are in the earth; but I do not know the heavens.

30 And Ammon said unto him: The heavens is a place where God dwells and all his holy angels.

31 And king Lamoni said: Is it above the earth?

32 And Ammon said: Yea, and he looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart; for by his hand were they all created from the beginning.

33 And king Lamoni said: I believe all these things which thou hast spoken. Art thou sent from God?

34 Ammon said unto him: I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true;

35 And a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God.

36 Now when Ammon had said these words, he began at the creation of the world, and also the creation of Adam, and told him all the things concerning the fall of man, and rehearsed and laid before him the records and the holy scriptures of the people, which had been spoken by the prophets, even down to the time that their father, Lehi, left Jerusalem.

37 And he also rehearsed unto them (for it was unto the king and to his servants) all the journeyings of their fathers in the wilderness, and all their sufferings with hunger and thirst, and their travail, and so forth.

38 And he also rehearsed unto them concerning the rebellions of Laman and Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael, yea, all their rebellions did he relate unto them; and he expounded unto them all the records and scriptures from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem down to the present time.

39 But this is not all; for he expounded unto them the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world; and he also made known unto them concerning the coming of Christ, and all the works of the Lord did he make known unto them.

40 And it came to pass that after he had said all these things, and expounded them to the king, that the king believed all his words.

41 And he began to cry unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, have mercy; according to thy abundant mercy which thou hast had upon the people of Nephi, have upon me, and my people.

42 And now, when he had said this, he fell unto the earth, as if he were dead.

43 And it came to pass that his servants took him and carried him in unto his wife, and laid him upon a bed; and he lay as if he were dead for the space of two days and two nights; and his wife, and his sons, and his daughters mourned over him, after the manner of the Lamanites, greatly lamenting his loss.

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Now the following is a repeat to allow you to put things together better in your minds!

Chapter 18: 3 And they answered the king, and said: Whether he be the Great Spirit or a man, we know not; but this much we do know, that he cannot be slain by the enemies of the king; neither can they scatter the king's flocks when he is with us, because of his expertness and great strength; therefore, we know that he is a friend to the king. And now, O king, we do not believe that a man has such great power, for we know he cannot be slain.

4 And now, when the king heard these words, he said unto them: Now I know that it is the Great Spirit; and he has come down at this time to preserve your lives, that I might not slay you as I did your brethren. Now this is the Great Spirit of whom our fathers have spoken.

5 Now this was the tradition of Lamoni, which he had received from his father, that there was a Great Spirit. Notwithstanding they believed in a Great Spirit they supposed that whatsoever they did was right; nevertheless, Lamoni began to fear exceedingly, with fear lest he had done wrong in slaying his servants;

6 For he had slain many of them because their brethren had scattered their flocks at the place of water; and thus, because they had had their flocks scattered they were slain. (emphasis and clarification added)

Through some special circumstances, the Lord, through his servant, Ammon (a son of the Nephite King, Mosiah) was bringing about the preparation of King Lamoni (without Lamoni realizing it) for a mighty change in heart which would soon lead him to actually become a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. We then read (in the past tense) these words of King Lamoni to Ammon:

Alma 18: 21 And now, if thou wilt tell me concerning these things, whatsoever thou desirest I will give unto thee; and if it were needed, I would guard thee with my armies; but I know that thou art more powerful than all they; nevertheless, whatsoever thou desirest of me I will grant it unto thee.

22 Now Ammon being wise, yet harmless, he said unto Lamoni: Wilt thou hearken unto my words, if I tell thee by what power I do these things? And this is the thing that I desire of thee.

23 And the king answered him, and said: Yea, I will believe all thy words. And thus he was caught with guile.

24 And Ammon began to speak unto him with boldness, and said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God?

25 And he answered, and said unto him: I do not know what that meaneth.

26 And then Ammon said: Believest thou that there is a Great Spirit?

27 And he said, Yea.

28 And Ammon said: This is God. And Ammon said unto him again: Believest thou that this Great Spirit, who is God, created all things which are in heaven and in the earth?

29 And he said: Yea, I believe that he created all things which are in the earth; but I do not know the heavens.

30 And Ammon said unto him: The heavens is a place where God dwells and all his holy angels.

31 And king Lamoni said: Is it above the earth?

32 And Ammon said: Yea, and he looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart; for by his hand were they all created from the beginning.

33 And king Lamoni said: I believe all these things which thou hast spoken. Art thou sent from God?

34 Ammon said unto him: I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true;

35 And a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me (did it ever!), which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God. (emphasis and clarification added.)

I realize that you have read this previously above, but I desired that you could really focus on these very inspired, (on the part of Ammon, who possessed the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation), particular words of this son of a king who, along with his three brothers and with a very close friend, Alma the Younger, had given up their previous terrible mischief of trying to actually destroy the Church of Christ in their father's (King Mosiah's) land.

The picture I am about to show you is an artist's depiction of an experience those five young men had several years before with an Angel of God. This jolting experience actually brought about a mighty change in all five of them.

An Angel of the Lord Rebukes Alma the Younger and the Four Sons of King Mosiah For Their Wickedness -By Gary Kapp

I showed you this picture to assist you to really begin to appreciate what caused these sons of a king, Ammon and his three brothers, to repent of their previous wickedness and then, each of their own free will,  strongly request of their father, the king, a mission to the Lamanites. They knew full well they were getting themselves into an assignment that would be exceedingly difficult! They had truly been converted to the Lord and learned of the power of His atonement in allowing them to change their lives!

Their conversions to the Lord Jesus Christ because of that experience was such that it made them willing to face any worthy challenge the Lord might ever allow them to face.

After you learned of Lamanite King Lamoni's discussion with Ammon, you can see that the mission that he along with his brothers, had been given, had presented him, Ammon with the kind of teaching opportunities they had expected to get. I'm sure Ammon viewed this experience with the Lamanite King, Lamoni, as a great opportunity to do what he knew the Lord wanted of him during this challenging mission he and his brothers were serving. I'm sure Ammon felt great gratitude to the Lord as he went about doing that which could rightly be termed, miraculous!

Each of these four sons of a king knew quite well the kind of challenges they would be getting themselves into. They had to work hard to persuade their father, King Mosiah, to send them on such a mission. Their father, after much deliberation and prayer, relented and allowed them to serve the desired mission to the very dangerous (especially to Nephites) Lamanite people.

I now will quote from the Chapter 17, verse 35 above, the promise that King Mosiah had received from the Lord regarding their dangerous mission to the Lamanites.

Alma 17:35 Therefore they did not fear Ammon, for they supposed that one of their men could slay him according to their pleasure, for they knew not that the Lord had promised Mosiah that he would deliver his sons out of their hands; neither did they know anything concerning the Lord; therefore they delighted in the destruction of their brethren; and for this cause they stood to scatter the flocks of the king. (emphasis and clarification added.)

After thinking the above through and thinking about the experience these four young men and their close friend, Alma, had with the Lord's Angel, I think you will appreciate the great change which had come about in Ammon. He had become an inspired and experienced servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, instead of tearing down the Lord's church as he and his brother's had done along with their friend, Alma, Ammon and his brothers (we will mention the brothers' successes in another post) were actually preparing the way for Christ's Church to be established among the Lamanites (their former enemies who had now become to them, their brethren).

I invite you to read the following verses from the Book of Mormon in order that you come to understand what Ammon was able to do with the King and his queen, and eventually with their people too, to actually have them becoming witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ and being deeply grateful for that which He (Jesus) would come to earth to do for them and all of us.

Below are some verses from Alma Chapter 19 which I would like you to read. I will make some comments after you have read them:

However, right now I'll explain briefly what happened after that. This Abish, having been converted to the Lord for many years without telling others about it, wanted the people of the kingdom to be like like she secretly had been, knowing about the power of God so she went actively about inviting people to come to the house of the king.

In Verse 18 we are told that a multitude arrived and saw their king and queen, and their servants "prostrate on the earth," as though they were dead. Then they saw Ammon laying there also. They quickly realized he was a Nephite. Some of the people blamed all of these apparent deaths on their king for having allowed a Nephite to remain in their land.

Alma 19: 2 Now the queen having heard of the fame of Ammon, therefore she sent and desired that he should come in unto her.

3 And it came to pass that Ammon did as he was commanded, and went in unto the queen, and desired to know what she would that he should do.

4 And she said unto him: The servants of my husband have made it known unto me that thou art a prophet of a holy God, and that thou hast power to do many mighty works in his name;

5 Therefore, if this is the case, I would that ye should go in and see my husband, for he has been laid upon his bed for the space of two days and two nights; and some say that he is not dead, but others say that he is dead and that he stinketh, and that he ought to be placed in the sepulchre; but as for myself, to me he doth not stink.

6 Now, this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness—yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul, yea, he knew that this had overcome his natural frame, and he was carried away in God—

7 Therefore, what the queen desired of him was his only desire. Therefore, he went in to see the king according as the queen had desired him; and he saw the king, and he knew that he was not dead.

8 And he said unto the queen: He is not dead, but he sleepeth in God, and on the morrow he shall rise again; therefore bury him not.

9 And Ammon said unto her: Believest thou this? And she said unto him: I have had no witness save thy word, and the word of our servants; nevertheless I believe that it shall be according as thou hast said.

10 And Ammon said unto her: Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites.

11 And it came to pass that she watched over the bed of her husband, from that time even until that time on the morrow which Ammon had appointed that he should rise.

12 And it came to pass that he arose, according to the words of Ammon; and as he arose, he stretched forth his hand unto the woman, and said: Blessed be the name of God, and blessed art thou.

13 For as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. Now, when he had said these words, his heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the Spirit.

14 Now Ammon seeing the Spirit of the Lord poured out according to his prayers upon the Lamanites, his brethren, who had been the cause of so much mourning among the Nephites, or among all the people of God because of their iniquities and their traditions, he fell upon his knees, and began to pour out his soul in prayer and thanksgiving to God for what he had done for his brethren; and he was also overpowered with joy; and thus they all three had sunk to the earth.

15 Now, when the servants of the king had seen that they had fallen, they also began to cry unto God, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them also, for it was they who had stood before the king and testified unto him concerning the great power of Ammon.

16 And it came to pass that they did call on the name of the Lord, in their might, even until they had all fallen to the earth, save it were one of the Lamanitish women, whose name was Abish, she having been converted unto the Lord for many years, on account of a remarkable vision of her father—(emphasis and clarification added)

How is that for some reverse racial prejudice! I now quote just three other Book of Mormon verses.

Alma Chapter 19: 22 Now, one of them, whose brother had been slain with the sword of Ammon, being exceedingly angry with Ammon, drew his sword and went forth that he might let it fall upon Ammon, to slay him; and as he lifted the sword to smite him, behold, he fell dead.

23 Now we see that Ammon could not be slain, for the Lord had said unto Mosiah, his father: I will spare him, and it shall be unto him according to thy faith—therefore, Mosiah trusted him unto the Lord.

24 And it came to pass that when the multitude beheld that the man had fallen dead, who lifted the sword to slay Ammon, fear came upon them all, and they durst not put forth their hands to touch him or any of those who had fallen; and they began to marvel again among themselves what could be the cause of this great power, or what all these things could mean. (emphasis added)

Now let me stop right here at this pre-climax point in this deeply touching historical account and suggest that if the "scholar" from the Utah Valley University who was quoted in the May 2007 PBS Prime Time Video, "The Mormons",

Professor Alex Caldiero, Utah State University, Orem, Utah

as saying that "everytime he reads the Book of Mormon he sees the writings of a young, unschooled 19th Century farm boy;" were this Professor with us right now reading that which you and I have just now read in this post how could he respond by continuing to stick to his erroneus statement quoted above?

In truth, this and all of the other accounts recorded in the Book of Mormon were either written by, or selected from, the writings of other Nephite prophets, by this great prophet, Mormon. In about 400 A.D. he, through the spiritual guidance he was receiving from the resurrected Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and was selectively including those matters he found in the historical accounts of his Nephite people, in his record which would become, The Book of Mormon, Another testament of Jesus Christ.

Professor Caldiero ought to be ashamed of his ever having intimated that the young man, Joseph Smith, could have ever made up this true and intriguing and very spiritual historical account.

Mormon knew full well that these records would be hidden up in the earth in due time by his prophet son, Moroni, and then brought forth for the enlightenment of the Lord's people in our time of the world. I'm sure that Mormon knew that the book, which would bear his name, would be a key factor in the restoration of the Lord's Church in preparation for His Second Coming and would contain very much which was written through the Power of the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation!

Let me now quote just a little more from Alma Chapter 19 to let us know what happened after what you read of above!

Alma 19: 24 And it came to pass that when the multitude beheld that the man had fallen dead, who lifted the sword to slay Ammon, fear came upon them all, and they durst not put forth their hands to touch him or any of those who had fallen; and they began to marvel again among themselves what could be the cause of this great power, or what all these things could mean.

25 And it came to pass that there were many among them who said that Ammon was the Great Spirit, and others said he was sent by the Great Spirit;

26 But others rebuked them all, saying that he was a monster, who had been sent from the Nephites to torment them.

27 And there were some who said that Ammon was sent by the Great Spirit to afflict them because of their iniquities; and that it was the Great Spirit that had always attended the Nephites, who had ever delivered them out of their hands; and they said that it was this Great Spirit who had destroyed so many of their brethren, the Lamanites.

28 And thus the contention began to be exceedingly sharp among them. And while they were thus contending, the woman servant (Abish) who had caused the multitude to be gathered together in the first place, came in, and when she saw the contention which was among the multitude she was exceedingly sorrowful, even unto tears.

29 And it came to pass that she went and took the queen by the hand, that perhaps she might raise her from the ground; and as soon as she touched her (the queen's) hand she arose and stood upon her feet, and cried with a loud voice, saying: O blessed Jesus, who has saved me from an awful hell! O blessed God, have mercy on this people!

30 And when she had said this, she clasped her hands, being filled with joy, speaking many words which were not understood; and when she had done this, she took the king, Lamoni, by the hand, and behold he arose and stood upon his feet. (emphasis and clarification added)

In the previous post I promised that you would learn from the following post (this post) of a Lamanite woman who had become a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. You just learned about it! There weren't many words, but the Queen's witness of Him was a sure witness!

The witness of King Lamoni about Jesus Christ being their Savior and Redeemer was equally powerfull:

Alma 19:12 And it came to pass that he arose, according to the words of Ammon; and as he arose, he stretched forth his hand unto the woman, and said: Blessed be the name of God, and blessed art thou.

13 For as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. Now, when he had said these words, his heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the Spirit. (emphasis and clarification Added)

Again, the purpose of this post and the other posts in this series of posts of mine is to vividly demonstrate that the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ is just what its title says it is.

I, J. Neil Birch bear my personal testimony to you that I surely know that Jesus is the Christ and the Redeemer of my soul. Words can't express the depth of my gratitude that I have for Him!

You have been with me for quite a while with this post and I try very hard to keep these posts as short as possible, but I feel it important to give you a good overview of what great things occurred among these Lamanites because of the mission of Ammon, one of the sons of King Mosiah, among them.

I'll use another one of the great paintings that are made available to me by lds.org. followed by an explanation:

Painting: Del Parson

Lamanite Families Burying their Swords Deep in the Earth as Hostile Lamanites Advance Toward Them To Kill Them (men women and their children)

As a Result of King Lamoni (and his queen's) Conversion to Jesus Christ, families of their kingdom were willing to sacrifice their lives rather than to break the sacred covenant they had made with Christ to never ever shed the blood of their fellow man again.

It surely takes an "eternal perspective" on the part of anyone reading this account from the Book of Mormon, to view these dear Lamanite families giving up their very lives to be faithful to their determination to be killed, along with their families, rather than to arm themselves and kill their attackers and thus break their sacred vows!

Alma 24:
5 Now when Ammon and his brethren and all those who had come up with him saw the preparations of the Lamanites to destroy their brethren, they came forth to the land of Midian, and there Ammon met all his brethren; and from thence they came to the land of Ishmael that they might hold a council with Lamoni and also with his brother Anti-Nephi-Lehi, what they should do to defend themselves against the Lamanites.

6 Now there was not one soul among all the people who had been converted unto the Lord that would take up arms against their brethren; nay, they would not even make any preparations for war; yea, and also their king (Lamoni) commanded them that they should not.

7 Now, these are the words which he said unto the people concerning the matter: I thank my God, my beloved people, that our great God has in goodness sent these our brethren, the Nephites, unto us to preach unto us, and to convince us of the traditions of our wicked fathers.

8 And behold, I thank my great God that he has given us a portion of his Spirit to soften our hearts, that we have opened a correspondence with these brethren, the Nephites.

9 And behold, I also thank my God, that by opening this correspondence we have been convinced of our sins, and of the many murders which we have committed.

10 And I also thank my God, yea, my great God, that he hath granted unto us that we might repent of these things, and also that he hath forgiven us of those our many sins and murders which we have committed, and taken away the guilt from our hearts, through the merits of his Son. (emphasis and clarification added.)

Was Ammon and his brethren's mission to the Lamanites a success? The touching picture above is a sure witness that it was!

If you are able to agree with what the Lamanite families depicted in the picture above decided to do, you have taken a huge leap forward spiritually!

A final comment on the Theme of this post and the one before it and the one after it: King Mosiah was told by the Spirit of the Lord through the Spirit and Power of Revelation ( a power that each of us can possess as we are baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and live worthy lives thereafter) that if his sons were to be sent on the dangerous mission they had requested to serve, Their Lives Would Be Preserved!

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



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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or An Item Which Refers To Any Other Blog Post You May Desire To Access): After Reading All of This Paragraph Please Click on the Following: Ammon, One of the Sons of Mosiah in (about) 90 B.C. Bore Testimony of Jesus Christ. -Post 35q. When You See the Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy, Please, Scroll Down To Your Target Item Or Use The Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed.)

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"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.


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Neil Birch