Blogging Through the Book of Mormon

Section 47 is short, only 4 verses and the topic is of record keeping. The IM gives background information as follows: “Since the beginning of time the Lord has commanded His people to keep record for their posterity detailing ‘what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers.’ Adam kept a book of remembrance written by the spirit of inspiration. Enoch kept a history of his people according to the pattern given by God. Lehi sent his sons back to Jerusalem to obtain a record of their forefathers. Nephi painstakingly kept two histories of his people, a secular record and a sacred record. In the dispensation of the fullness of times, the Lord commanded the Prophet Joseph Smith to keep a regular history of the Church. Oliver Cowdery and others were called to assist in the important task. John Whitmer, who previously had served as a secretary to the Prophet in Fayette, New York, was later asked to write the history of the Church. John’s reaction to the call was by his own report quit...

46:18 – “To another is given the word of knowledge, that all may be taught to be wise and to have knowledge.” DJR comments “As indicated above, verse 18 can be viewed as having two gifts of the Spirit in it. Perhaps you have had the experience of having an instructor who had the gift of knowledge (able to learn and retain knowledge) but who did not have the gift of teaching.” The IM teaches, “The gift of knowledge is an endowment from God that comes by study and obedience. It is not just a storehouse of factual information but is a knowledge of the things of God obtained by revelation. Thus we read, ‘If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things- that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.” This is referring to knowledge as not like a secular learning, like a spiritual learning. This lends itself to wisdom, and it comes to the “peaceable things” which is what we talked...

46:11-12 - Here we get into the topic of gifts of the Spirit, again, I don’t know a whole lot about these things but let’s have at it. As an introduction to this topic the Lord begins, “For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.” The IM quotes Elder Orson Pratt as teaching, “whenever the Holy Ghost takes up its residence in a person, it not only cleanses, sanctified, and purifies him, in proportion as he yields himself to its influence, but also imparts to him some gift, intended for the benefit of himself and others. No one who has been born of the Spirit, and who remains sufficiently faithful, is left destitute of a spiritual gift. A person who is without a spiritual gift has not the Spirit of God dwelling in him, in a sufficient degree, to save him; he cannot be called a Saint, or a child of God; for all Saints who ...

Section 45 was excellent in content, but it was so long, I can’t believe that we got through it. The IM gives the background as follows: “Challenges to the Lord’s newly restored Church were many and varied. The foundation years saw Satan’s power unleashed in continued efforts to thwart the kingdom of God. Evil spirits were marshaled to destroy the Prophet Joseph Smith and all who aligned themselves with Christ’s Church. But the heavens had been opened, and God had revealed to is prophet-leader the designs and tactics of the enemy. Speaking of these tactics, the Prophet Joseph Smith said: ‘A man must have the discerning of spirits before he can drag into daylight this hellish influence and unfold it unto the world in all its soul-destroying, diabolical, and horrid colors; for nothing is a greater injury to the children of men than to be under the influence of a false spirit when they think they have the Spirit of God. Thousands have felt the influence of its terrible power and baneful ...

45:43-53 - The Lord describes his entrance during the second coming “and they shall see me in the clouds of heaven, clothed with power and great glory; with all the holy angels.” But before that “an angel shall sound his trump, and the saints that have slept shall come forth to meet me in the cloud. Wherefore, us ye have slept in peace blessed are you; for as you now behold me and know that I am, even so shall ye come unto me and your souls shall live, and your redemption shall be perfected; and the saints shall come forth from the four quarters of the earth.” That’s pretty incredible, gives a great eternal perspective. It says if we have “slept in peace” which DJR says means “if you died righteous and faithful, worthy of celestial glory.” I think that when tribulations arise, and persecutions more specifically, because we are talking about the end of times, which I assume is going to be complete chaos and madness, the ultimate consequence is death, that’s the worst, most permanent fo...

45:35-42 -   The Lord briefly shares a parable of a fig tree saying that the signs of the times is like watching a fig tree throughout the seasons, and by watching the leaves on the fig tree you’ll be able to tell how close the next season is. Likewise, by watching for the signs of the times, we’ll be able to know if the second coming is approaching. This is tricky because really, there have been signs for decades, in fact my mom used to think as a child that the second coming would happen before she was old enough for college. A generalization of a “season” being an indicator is pretty accurate I think because it’s a time period, not a specific day. The IM teaches about this parable, saying, “When Jesus spoke to his disciples in answer to their query: ‘Show us when the end of the world shall come, and the time of thy coming,’ He spoke of certain signs that would indicate the time of his coming, the very signs that the world, if they only had eyes to see, could be beholding today:...

45:26-33 - The Lord continues with the signs of the last days, “shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them.” The IM quotes President Ezra Taft Benson as teaching, “We live in an age when, as the Lord foretold, men’s hearts are failing them, not only physically but in spirit. Many are giving up heart for the battle of life. Suicide ranks as a major cause of the deaths to college students. As the showdown between good and evil approaches with its accompanying trials and tribulations, Satan is increasingly striving to overcome the Saints with despair, discouragement, despondency, depression. Yet, of all people, we as Latter-day Saints should be the most optimistic and the least pessimistic. For a while we know that ‘peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion,’ we are also assured that ‘the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst.’” This ...

45:16-21 - This next section is kind of an interesting one, DJR gives the background saying, “As mentioned previously, the Savior will now teach us what He taught His disciples, as recorded in Matthew, chapter 24. It was the last week of Christ’s life, probably Tuesday (He will be crucified on Friday). The Savior’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem two days earlier had set the entire city of Jerusalem into an uproar. City officials and priests, along with many others, were determined to eradicate Jesus and His followers. (Much the same sentiments existed in the hearts and efforts of residents of the Kirtland area, at the time section 65 was given). The Master’s disciples were very concerned about His safety, as well as their own future. They came to Him with two specific questions as He say upon the Mount of Olives: 1. When would the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the Jews take place? 2. What are the signs of His Second Coming and the destruction of the wicked?” The IM teache...

45:6-15 - The Lord asks them to “listen together, and hear my voice while it is called today.” The IM comments “three scriptures contribute to an understanding of this phrase. Modern revelation states that the earth’s temporal history spans seven thousand years, divided into periods of one thousand years each. Peter and Abraham taught that time on earth, compared to the time where God dwells, is at a ratio of a thousand of earth’s years to one day of God’s time. Since the earth will have a temporal existence before it is celestialzed, since it is known that the earth is not in the sixth period of a thousand years, or the sixth ‘day,’ in the Lord’s terminology the present period is ‘today’ and Christ will come ‘tomorrow.’ In a later revelation, the Lord used this same terminology, indicating that ‘now it is called today until the coming of the Son of Man,’ that ‘after today cometh the burning,’ that ‘tomorrow all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble.’” I love the def...

Section 45 is a lot longer than section 44, and new in the way that the Lord discusses specific verses or events that are recorded in the Bible. I feel that this is significant in the same that way it’s significant when the Lord references Book of Mormon peoples and events. It’s a unifying force, it shows how the Bible and the Book of Mormon both support the doctrine of His gospel. The IM gives background information as follows: “The arrival of the Prophet Joseph Smith in Kirtland, ohio, marked the beginning of a period of rapid growth in the membership in the Church. By early June 1831, the Church had grown to about two thousand members. Among those who joined the Church at this time were Sidney Rigdon’s mother and oldest brother; Luke S. Johnson, one of the first missionaries in the Church; and Ezra Booth, who joined the Church after witnessing a miracle. Civic leaders, ministers, newspaper editors, and parishioners joined together in an effort to stop the conversion of their neighb...