36g - Alma the Younger, in the Book of Alma, a Book Found in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Tells Us By the Means of the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation What We Need to Know About the Resurrection From the Dead.

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TODAY'S THEME



Grieving for Lost Loved Ones - A Part of Life -Oil Painting: Robert Reid, 1888



They Who Loved Him Grieved the Death of Jesus -By Carl Heinrich Bloch



Why Weepest Thou -By Simon Dewey



Jesus' Resurrection, the First of all Resurrections, Brought Great Joy Where Once There Was Great Sorrow

The Prophet, Alma the Younger taught the Lord's Word regarding the Resurrection of the Dead:

You will notice in the scripture I have quoted below, that I have highlighted things which I feel are particularly important for you and I to know. I would encourage you to focus on those verses. Please try to identify those things in your life which you need to begin doing or need to stop doing which would help qualify you to be resurrected with the righteous and not with the unrighteous.

Book of Mormon, Alma 40:1 NOW my son, here is somewhat more I would say unto thee; for I perceive that thy mind is worried concerning the resurrection of the dead.

2 Behold, I say unto you, that there is no resurrection—or, I would say, in other words, that this mortal does not put on immortality, this corruption does not put on incorruption—until after the coming of Christ.

3 Behold, he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead. But behold, my son, the resurrection is not yet. Now, I unfold unto you a mystery; nevertheless, there are many mysteries which are kept, that no one knoweth them save God himself. But I show unto you one thing which I have inquired diligently of God that I might know—that is concerning the resurrection.

4 Behold, there is a time appointed that all shall come forth from the dead. Now when this time cometh no one knows; but God knoweth the time which is appointed.

5 Now, whether there shall be one time, or a second time, or a third time, that men shall come forth from the dead, it mattereth not; for God knoweth all these things; and it sufficeth me to know that this is the case—that there is a time appointed that all shall rise from the dead.

6 Now there must needs be a space betwixt the time of death and the time of the resurrection.

7 And now I would inquire what becometh of the souls of men from this time of death to the time appointed for the resurrection?

8 Now whether there is more than one time appointed for men to rise it mattereth not; for all do not die at once, and this mattereth not; all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men.

9 Therefore, there is a time appointed unto men that they shall rise from the dead; and there is a space between the time of death and the resurrection. And now, concerning this space of time, what becometh of the souls of men is the thing which I have inquired diligently of the Lord to know; and this is the thing of which I do know.

10 And when the time cometh when all shall rise, then shall they know that God knoweth all the times which are appointed unto man.

11 Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

13 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house—and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.

14 Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.

15 Now, there are some that have understood that this state of happiness and this state of misery of the soul, before the resurrection, was a first resurrection. Yea, I admit it may be termed a resurrection, the raising of the spirit or the soul and their consignation to happiness or misery, according to the words which have been spoken.

16 And behold, again it hath been spoken, that there is a first resurrection, a resurrection of all those who have been, or who are, or who shall be, down to the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

17 Now, we do not suppose that this first resurrection, which is spoken of in this manner, can be the resurrection of the souls and their consignation to happiness or misery. Ye cannot suppose that this is what it meaneth.

18 Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but it meaneth the reuniting of the soul with the body, of those from the days of Adam down to the resurrection of Christ.

19 Now, whether the souls and the bodies of those of whom has been spoken shall all be reunited at once, the wicked as well as the righteous, I do not say; let it suffice, that I say that they all come forth; or in other words, their resurrection cometh to pass before the resurrection of those who die after the resurrection of Christ. (Please see the FOOTNOTE below!)

20 Now, my son, I do not say that their resurrection cometh at the resurrection of Christ; but behold, I give it as my opinion, that the souls and the bodies are reunited, of the righteous, at the resurrection of Christ, and his ascension into heaven.

21 But whether it be at his resurrection or after, I do not say; but this much I say, that there is a space between death and the resurrection of the body, and a state of the soul in happiness or in misery until the time which is appointed of God that the dead shall come forth, and be reunited, both soul and body, and be brought to stand before God, and be judged according to their works.

22 Yea, this bringeth about the restoration of those things of which has been spoken by the mouths of the prophets.

23 The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.

24 And now, my son, this is the restoration of which has been spoken by the mouths of the prophets—

25 And then shall the righteous shine forth in the kingdom of God.

26 But behold, an awful death cometh upon the wicked; for they die as to things pertaining to things of righteousness; for they are unclean, and no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of God; but they are cast out, and consigned to partake of the fruits of their labors or their works, which have been evil; and they drink the dregs of a bitter cup. (Emphasis and Instruction Added)



Alma the Younger and the Four Sons of King Mosiah are Reprimanded by an Angel of God -by Gary Kapp



Alma the Younger, whose father (who was a prophet) and also named Alma, had earlier in his life felt pain and anguish as extremely as one can possibly feel when he and his closest associates in doing evil were rebuked by an Angel. This was a direct answer to the prayers of Alma, his father.

Here is a part of what Alma the Younger had to say about that phase of his life:

Alma 36: 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!

In my opinion, and I'd have to think that you'd agree with me, the words of Alma you have studied (in blue above) are much more believable and credible after learning that such a great change took place in Alma after he had allowed the atonement of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer to take away his great guilt and anguish. We thus know Alma believed in Christ! That kind of a change can take place in each of us too.

Before ending this post I'd like each of you to accept an assignment from me. Please make a private list of all the things you need to change in your life or even just begin such a list. Doing this could help you to become qualified for the resurrection of the righteous about which Alma taught us. Using such a list to help you increase your righteousness will most likely help you live as righteously as possible and know you have been forgiven as Alma did. This assignment is just for your benefit, and of course as you carry through in making those changes, that will eventually benefit those who love you so much, your family.

FOOTNOTE: It is reported in the following scripture that the recently resurrected  Jesus Christ (in A.D.34, (His was the very first of all resurrections as you will remember) asked an extremely important question of His Nephite apostles during a visit with them in Central America near their temple in the Land Bountiful. 

3Nephi 23:9 Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that there were many saints who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. And he said unto them: Was it not so?

10 And his disciples answered him and said: Yea, Lord, Samuel did prophesy according to thy words, and they were all fulfilled.

11 And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them?(emphasis added)

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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 Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation Guided the Younger Prophet Alma to Understand and Describe the Resurrection of the Dead -Post 36g. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item (Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

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

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

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. 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

36f - Zenos Saw Far Into the Future, - Part 2 - Book of Mormon Prophecies are Fulfilled in Our Day

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

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TODAY'S THEME

My Father's House -by Al Rounds

I believe the hill in the foreground of this painting of the temple in Jerusalem as it was at the time our Savior, Jesus Christ was serving His mortal mission, is the Mount of Olives spoken of in the New Testament. This is an illustration of how olive orchards were an important life of the Jewish people for ages.

I chose this painting to begin TODAY'S THEME because I promised at the end of my previous post to show how the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees given by the ancient prophet, Zenos, which is recorded in Chapter Five of the Book of Jacob in the Book of Mormon, applies to each of us today.

If you have not yet read my previous post let me give you the scripture that was covered in that so you can read it in its entirety. Those of you have read it before may choose to read (and listen) to it again, now.
Jacob 5:1-77

Zenos, in his allegory, through the spirit of prophecy and revelation tells us about things that were to happen in the future, but of course, to us they are mostly things of the past. They actually happened or are happening now or will happen in the not too distant future.

I will only touch lightly on most of the things this allegory tells us will take place that have already taken place.

It tells us figuratively that the Gentiles shall be grafted into the House of Israel. That, of course happened beginning with the Apostle Peter as he was given a dream that helped him accept his and the other apostles responsibility of teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. In that case Peter was inspired to teach the Gospel to a righteous Gentile, Cornelius, a Roman Centurion.

The allegory takes us through many twists and turns of history and even of the not so distant future, none of which is yet fully known. I would only be guessing if I tried to relate everything that Zenos included in his allegory to actual historic people and events. However, one part of it is quite clear to those who know the Book of Mormon well.

Jacob 5: 25 And he said unto the servant: Look hither and behold the last. Behold, this have I planted in a good spot of ground; and I have nourished it this long time, and only a part of the tree hath brought forth tame fruit, and the other part of the tree hath brought forth wild fruit; behold, I have nourished this tree like unto the others. (emphasis added)

That is very clearly a reference to the Nephite and Lamanite nations which were led by the Lord (The Master of the Vineyard) to the Western Hemisphere. More is said in later verses of Chapter Five about that particular "Olive tree."

You probably will agree with me that the message of Zenos' allegory is that the Lord loves the House of Israel because it, when it is righteous, brings forth good works which is really pleasing to Him.

The message is also there that He equally loves those Gentiles who are grafted into the House of Israel and bring forth the fruit which is most precious unto Him.

I now quote verses 76 and 77 of Chapter 5 of the Book of Jacob

76 For behold, for a long time will I lay up of the fruit of my vineyard unto mine own self against the season, which speedily cometh; and for the last time have I nourished my vineyard, and pruned it, and dug about it, and dunged it; wherefore I will lay up unto mine own self of the fruit, for a long time, according to that which I have spoken.

77 And when the time cometh that evil fruit shall again come into my vineyard, then will I cause the good and the bad to be gathered; and the good will I preserve unto myself, and the bad will I cast away into its own place. And then cometh the season and the end; and my vineyard will I cause to be burned with fire. (emphasis added)

Now, please read the words of verse 61 - 65 of Chapter 5:

61 Wherefore, go to, and call servants, that we may labor diligently with our might in the vineyard, that we may prepare the way, that I may bring forth again the natural fruit, which natural fruit is good and the most precious above all other fruit.

62 Wherefore, let us go to and labor with our might this last time, for behold the end draweth nigh, and this is for the last time that I shall prune my vineyard.

63 Graft in the branches; begin at the last that they may be first, and that the first may be last, and dig about the trees, both old and young, the first and the last; and the last and the first, that all may be nourished once again for the last time.

64 Wherefore, dig about them, and prune them, and dung them once more, for the last time, for the end draweth nigh. And if it be so that these last grafts shall grow, and bring forth the
natural fruit, then shall ye prepare the way for them, that they may grow.

65 And as they begin to grow ye shall clear away the branches which bring forth bitter fruit, according to the strength of the good and the size thereof; and ye shall not clear away the bad thereof all at once, lest the roots thereof should be too strong for the graft, and the graft thereof shall perish, and I lose the trees of my vineyard. (emphasis added)

In our day, the Lord Jesus Christ has re-established His church and has called prophets and apostles to lead it. They are certainly among those "servants" mentioned in verse 61 above. They are doing much to forward the Lord's work in our day.









President Dieter F. Uchtdorf Of The First Presidency and Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

"God Is Love" (inscribed at church) LDS Church News, June 13, 2009
By Elder Darvel Gregory and Sister Kathryn Gregory - Europe East Area senior couple missionaries.

Among the many visits and addresses by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf and Elder Neil L. Andersen while in Russia and Ukraine in late May and early June was a visit to the Central Baptist Church in Moscow. Here fifty years ago in October 1959, another apostle, Ezra Taft Benson, then serving as Secretary of Agriculture in the U.S. Administration, spoke at a meeting of Christian believers.

On Tuesday, June 2, President Uchtdorf and Elder Andersen were welcomed by Vitaly Vlasenko, the director of external relations for the Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists of Russia, and Pastor Sergey Zolotarovsky.

The guests were given a tour of the 200-year-old building that has been home to the Baptist congregation since 1917. They stood at the pulpit where Elder Benson spoke cast against the backdrop of words "God Is Love," and looked out over the balcony and main hall where nearly 1,000 Christian believers listened to words of encouragement and testimony during Soviet times.

After the tour, guests and hosts held an informal meeting to share experiences and discuss topics of common interest to the members of these two minority religions in Russia. President Uchtdorf asked Pastor Zoloarovsky about his experience as a Christian. Pastor Zolotarovsky said that he was baptized in 1971 when it was difficult to be a believer. He shared how Christians were often denied educational and employment opportunities. President Uchtdeorf commended them for their faith and explained that such has also been the case with Latter-day Saints.

President Uchtdorf shared his feelings about the wars and discord of the past that have brought sorrow and suffering to the people of Russia and Ukraine.

"Fortunately, those times are in the past," he said. "Today, there is greater unity. With Jesus Christ as our Savior we can all be united and serve Him. We have different doctrines, but we all believe in God, and believing in the goodness of the people unites us."

President Uchtdorf introduced Elder Alekandr N. Manzhos and Elder Sergiy N. Mikulin, Area Seventies, and shared their background and Church experience. It was agreed that there are common issues on which the two Christian faiths can work together and that the meeting was the beginning of a longer relationship.

 

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That was just a small sample of the work being done throughout the world by the Lord's Latter-day servants which is in fulfillment of Zenos' prophecy given to us in the Book of Mormon by the prophet Jacob, son of Lehi.

I will now quote for you one of my favorite scriptures. In this verse the Lord is not using the terms used in Zenos' allegory, yet He is telling us basically that which is expressed by Zenos regarding the Lord of the Vineyard's love for the fruit of His olive trees.

Pearl of Great Price - Moses 1:39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (emphasis added)

As I have indicated in the just previous post I will be helping you to see how this inspired allegory applies to us now in our day! The last verse of Zenos' allegory tells us that rather directly.



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

Jacob 5:77 And when the time cometh that evil fruit shall again come into my vineyard, then will I cause the good and the bad to be gathered; and the good will I preserve unto myself, and the bad will I cast away into its own place. And then cometh the season and the end; and my vineyard will I cause to be burned with fire. (emphasis added)

Jesus Christ and the Hosts of Heaven descend to greet His Saints Who Have Been Saved from the Great Burning.

 

In preparation for the Lord to return with the angels of Heaven to begin the Great Millennium prophesied of by prophets since Adam's day, God's latter-day prophets and apostles whom He has called, are examples of those mentioned in verse 61 above. All faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can, through worthiness and effort be included as the servants mentioned in the allegory.

A Footnote to the Description of Olive Cultivation Found in Zenos's Allegory of the Tame and Wild Olive Trees:

To those who might claim that Joseph Smith or some other person from Nineteenth Century New England made up everything in the Book of Mormon I relate the following:

About twenty years ago while riding in a car from Salt Lake City to Sacramento, California with several people I knew and several I did not know before, one of the latter told us the following as we happened to be discussing the Book of Mormon: This middle-aged LDS lady told all of us that her husband, who was not with her at the time, was highly educated in matters agricultural. She said that he had specialized for a time on olive cultivation. They were from the Sacramento area of Northern California where there is a good amount of olive cultivation. She had often heard him tell how accurate the description in the Fifth Chapter of Jacob by the ancient prophet, Zenos is of how olive trees should be cultivated and handled from planting to harvesting and even to eventual disposal.

To me this stands as sure evidence that Joseph Smith and others in New England and New York in his time could not have made up that part of the Book of Mormon. The Fifth Chapter of Jacob was always a part of the Book of Mormon. Nothing of the basic account was ever added later.

I believe that the Neal A. Maxwell Institute of Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University at Provo, Utah has accumulated statements from other professional olive cultivators who verify the same thing, often providing verifiable details to back up their findings.

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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: (The Ancient Prophet, Zenos' Prophecy Concerning the House of Israel . . .- Post 36f. 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 Alphabetic 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

36e Zenos Saw Far Into the Future - Book of Mormon Prophecies are Fulfilled in Our Day

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

 

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TODAY'S THEME

We See the Families of Lehi and Ishmael as Their Ship Nears Land in What is Now Known as Central America -by Arnold Friberg

It is relatively easy for me to identify in this painting four individuals: Father Lehi and Mother Sariah, his wife. Standing to the right of Sariah would be their son, Nephi, the inspired builder of the ship. The young boy leaning on the ship's railings and standing to Nephi's right, in my opinion, would be Jacob, Lehi and Sariah's fifth son who was born on their long journey across the Arabian peninsula. Another son was born on that same journey, only he is younger than Jacob. His name was Joseph. I have mentioned Joseph in several posts, particularly in Post 36a, The Three Josephs.

I have tried to identify Jacob in that Friberg painting because he wrote the Book of Jacob contained in the small plates of Nephi (the first section of the Book of Mormon). In this post you will have the opportunity of reading Chapter 5 of Jacob's book.
This is the Chapter 5 Heading:

Jacob Chapter 5 Jacob quotes Zenos relative to the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees—They are a likeness of Israel and the gentiles—The scattering and gathering of Israel are prefigured—Allusions are made to the Nephites and Lamanites and all the house of Israel—Gentiles shall be grafted into Israel—Eventually the vineyard shall be burned. About 544–421 B.C. (emphasis added)

You will have noticed the name, Zenos which I have put in highlighted italics in the chapter heading above. The only scriptures we hear mentioned in the beginning of the Book of Mormon is the record contained on the Brass Plates of Laban, for which Lehi sent his four sons, Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi back to Jerusalem after they had been camped not far from the Red Sea, to obtain those scriptures from Laban, most likely a distant relative of theirs.

Laban was a descendant of Joseph, Who Was Sold Into Egypt as was Lehi and his family and as was Ishmael, a relative of Lehi's who was persuaded to bring along his family to go with Lehi and family out of troubled Jerusalem to a yet to be identified Promised Land. Lehi's sons married Ishmael's daughters as did Laban's servant who was obliged to come along too, but became very close to Nephi throughout his life.

The Brass plates contained many records which are found in our Old Testament. The Book of Isaiah is one of them. Look now back to the Jacob Chapter Five heading above to the name Zenos which I have highlighted in italics there. He was a prophet in what we would call Old Testament Times.

If you can easily locate your copy of the Old Testament, I suggest you look in its index for the name, Zenos.

You mean to tell me that you couldn't find such a name there? That must mean that there are books in the Brass Plates that Nephi obtained during his and his brothers' trip back to Jerusalem that are not found in our Old Testament. I just now checked in the index of my Finnish Bible, Raamattu, and that name was not found there either.

The fact is that the Lord has not yet given us access to the books in the Brass Plates of Laban so we can't access Zenos's writings anywhere except where it is referred to in the Book of Mormon and in this case, in the Book of Jacob, chapter Five.

To help prepare you for your reading Chapter Five of Jacob here is something I'd like you to read:

I found the following somewhere on the Internet. Particularly from the last paragraph above we learn that before the time of Father Lehi, Olive Cultivation had become a very important part of the culture of the Jews. Surely such was the case in the time of Zenos, the Jewish prophet.

"Beginning in 5000 B.C. And until 1400 B.C., olive cultivation spread from Crete to Syria, Palestine, and Israel; commercial networking and application of new knowledge then brought it to Southern Turkey, Cyprus, and Egypt. Until 1500 B.C., Greece—particularly Mycenae—was the area most heavily cultivated. with the expansion of the Greek colonies, olive culture reached Southern Italy and Northern Africa in the eighth century B.C., then spread into Southern France. Olive trees were planted in the entire Mediterranean basin under Roman rule.

According to the historian Pliny, Italy had "excellent olive oil at reasonable prices" by the first century A.C, "the best in the Mediterranean," he maintained."

"In the land of the Hebrews, King Solomon and King David placed great importance on the cultivation of olive trees; King David even had guards watching over the olive groves and warehouses, ensuring the safety of the trees and their precious oil." (emphasis added)



An Olive Grove -by Vincent Van Gogh

I now invite you to read and listen to Chapter Five of the Book of Jacob. It is an allegory so it is in a style you may not be used to. There are seventy seven verses. If you give it your full attention by both reading and listening at the same time, it will make much sense to you.

Jacob 5:1-77

I have decided to help you interpret Zenos' allegory given in Jacob, Chapter Five in my next post.

However, before doing so for a key purpose I now return to something I have referred to a number of times in this blog, beginning actually with Post 1.

In that post I told how in my viewing the Prime-time Video, "The Mormons" in May of 2007 it came home very forcibly to me that the people who prepared that video did not know as I know that Joseph Smith, under the divine gift of inspiration and guidance, translated an ancient record written in hieroglyphics into the English language.

The following is a quote from the video "The Mormons": It was that which I just quoted Alex Caldiero saying above that caused me to entitle this blog, Have You Really Read The Book of Mormon? If you have been regularly reading this blog for any amount of time you must have come to the conclusion that Professor Caldiero has never ever read anything in the Book of Mormon.

Right from the beginning of that sacred book there are many complexities that wouldn't be there if it had been made up by a young, unschooled Nineteenth Century American farm boy. Facts presented in the Book of Mormon are woven together intrinsically, because it contains true history. Chapter Five of Jacob which you just read and listened to is a prime example.

Professor Alex Caldiero, Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah, (U.S.A.)

"I hear Joseph Smith's voice every time I read it (The Book of Mormon). He was young. He was unlettered and he put this all together. So you have this rough hewn kind of text..." Alex Caldiero, poet and scholar, Utah Valley University Orem, Utah) (clarification and emphasis added)

Dr. Dan Peterson of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute at Brigham Young University has shown conclusively that all of the evidence shows that it would have been impossible for Joseph Smith to have used any documents as a source for the Book of Mormon. There were many people around Joseph Smith and his scribe when the translating took place and none of them suggest there were documents in the house from which Joseph or his scribe could have copied. They all agree: Joseph translated The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ by the power of God.

Many people who reject the Book of Mormon have tried since the mid-1800s to find such a document that Joseph Smith could have copied to bring about the Book of Mormon, have failed over and over again.

You can view - Dr. Peterson's Lecture Video about this matter.  It is long, but you can select what you read!



I wrote what I did above about "The Mormons" video because I wanted to show that the enemies of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ desire to have the world believe that the sacred Book of Mormon is a farce and was put together by the Mormons to deceive the world for some devious purpose.

While they do that, there are those of us (which may include some of you readers) who have received a divine witness that the Book of Mormon, along with the Holy Bible, and certain other revealed scriptures, were given us by our Heavenly Father to help prepare His children to be able to live with Him and His Son, Jesus Christ, eternally.

Please return to this blog in three to four days to allow me to help you better understand how the very inspired Chapter Five of Jacob from the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ applies to each of us.

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





TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or 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: (The) Book of Mormon Prophet, Nephi, Son of Lehi, Saw Far Into . . . - Post 36e. 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 Alphabetic Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed.)

________________


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

_____________



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

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

Neil Birch

36d - Nephi Saw Far Into the Future - Book of Mormon Prophecies are Fulfilled in Our Day

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

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TODAY'S THEME

Nephi Subdues His Rebellious Brothers -by Arnold Friberg

He may have been his father Lehi's fourth oldest son, but Nephi showed by his faithfulness that he was determined and able to take the lead in doing that which God had commanded his father to accomplish.

1. When it seemed that getting the brass plates from Laban was impossible, Nephi humbly followed the Lord's guidance and through dangerous and difficult circumstances obtained those sacred records which were to keep the righteous part of their family on the right track. (1 Nephi 4:6-26)

2. When they were at the point of starvation on their trek across the Arabian Peninsula, while even Father Lehi complained to the Lord, Nephi humbled himself and through the Lord's guidance was able to replace his broken bow and kill the wild animals needed to sustain them. (1 Nephi 16:18-32)

3. When his two eldest brothers, Laman and Lemuel rebelled against their father and him in their task of building a ship to cross the great ocean, Nephi stood firm. The brothers finally worked together with him and the very serviceable ship was built. 1 Nephi 18:1-25

Painting: Arnold Friberg

Lehi and his Family Finally View the Promised Land

While the two oldest brothers complained about what the Lord had commanded their father to do, Nephi humbled himself and sought to find out from the Lord His purposes for them. He was therefore blessed with mighty visions and through the spirit of prophecy and revelation and was able to foretell their and their descendants future and as it turned out, to prophesy of others (the Gentiles) future coming to their promised land to which they had already been guided.

In Chapter 13 of 1Nephi Nephi is told by an angel of God about the future of the Americas.

At first Nephi is shown something which was to happen in what we now know as Europe:

Medieval Churches in Southern Europe

1Nephi 13:
1 AND it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld many nations and kingdoms.

2 And the angel said unto me: What beholdest thou? And I said: I behold many nations and kingdoms.

3 And he said unto me: These are the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles.

4 And it came to pass that I saw among the nations of the Gentiles the formation of a great church.

5 And the angel said unto me: Behold the formation of a church which is most abominable above all other churches, which slayeth the saints of God, yea, and tortureth them and bindeth them down, and yoketh them with a yoke of iron, and bringeth them down into captivity.

6 And it came to pass that I beheld this great and abominable church; and I saw the devil that he was the founder of it.

7 And I also saw gold, and silver, and silks, and scarlets, and fine-twined linen, and all manner of precious clothing; and I saw many harlots.

8 And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the gold, and the silver, and the silks, and the scarlets, and the fine-twined linen, and the precious clothing, and the harlots, are the desires of this great and abominable church.

9 And also for the praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God, and bring them down into captivity.

10 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld many waters; and they divided the Gentiles from the seed of my brethren.

11 And it came to pass that the angel said unto me: Behold the wrath of God is upon the seed of thy brethren.

Painting of Christopher Columbus -by (artist unknown)

12 And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land. (emphasis added)



Photo of Columbus' Replica Ships

The Aztec Indians, Later conquered by Hernando Cortéz

Continuing by the power of the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation the Angel of the Lord in Chapter 13 of I Nephi informs Nephi of a significant set of happenings which was to bring about eventually a free nation: the United States of America.

It was just today, July 4th (2011) that nation celebrated its Fourth of July annual Holiday which has been celebrated annually since 1776 when Declaration of Independence (from Great Britain) was announced allowing this free nation to eventually be formed in which I, and many of you (but not all of you) readers of this blog post live! 

We who live in this nation cherish our freedom. We know that many of you readers of this blog live in free nations too. However, back in 1776 there were really no nations that really had much freedom to celebrate.

Nephi, son of Lehi, whose words as recorded in I Nephi, Chapter 13 of the Book of Mormon, by the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation which originates with the Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost, tells us:

I Nephi 13:13 And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters.

14 And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren (the American Indians); and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten.

15 And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the land for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain (The Nephites of the Prophets Mormon and Moroni's day).

16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them.

17 And I beheld that their mother Gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them.

18 And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle.

19 And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations. (emphasis and clarification added)

____________

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


____________


TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or 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: (The) Book of Mormon Prophet, Nephi, Son of Lehi, Saw Far Into . . . - Post 36d. 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 Alphabetic Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed.)


__________


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


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

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested. Please be advised that I have an additional blog. It is in Spanish:  Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch

36c - The Prophet Daniel Interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's Dream - Book of Mormon (& Bible) Prophecies are Fulfilled in Our Day

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

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TODAY'S THEME



A Stone Cut Out of a Mountain Without Hands -by Grant Romney Clawson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Please read and Listen to: Daniel 2:1-47

Let me emphasize verses 44 and 45 of that chapter by quoting them:

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

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

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

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

jstestimony

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

Here are three paintings and a photo that depict important events you have just read about and perhaps listened to.

The Angel Moroni Appears to Joseph Smith -by Tom Lovell

The Hill Cumorah

The Golden Plates



Moroni Gives Joseph Smith the Golden Plates -by Kenneth Riley

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

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

"I have seen the miracle of that growth in charity in the hearts of priesthood holders, So have many of you. And so have many outside the Church. I was in the office of President Gordon B. Hinckley when he was asked to take a phone call. He spoke briefly on the phone and then returned to our conversation. But he took a moment to explain. He said that the call was from the president of the United States, who was flying over Utah in Air Force One on his way to Washington.

The president of the United States had called to thank President Hinckley for what priesthood holders had done in the aftermath of a hurricane. The president of the United States had said that it was a miracle that we were able to get so many people, so quickly, working together so well. He praised our people by saying that we knew how to do things."

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

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

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

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

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

Family Prayer - And Serving Others

Photos provided by lds.org

I have entitled this post, a part of the series:

Book of Mormon (and Bible) Prophecies are Fulfilled in Our Day, The Prophet Daniel Interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's Dream.

 I added the (and Bible) part for this post. After all, the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon are one in the hand of our Lord. His holy gift of Prophecy and Revelation was used by the Lord's servants (prophets) in both books to present His word.



The Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ Stand Together

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

____________



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



_____________


TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or 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: The Book of Mormon Plays a Key Role in Bringing About the Fulfillment of . . .- Post 36c. 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 Alphabetic Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed.)


_____________


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

____________


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

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

Neil Birch