What Is The Book Of Mormon And Who Is This "Mormon"

In the title page of The Book of Mormon are two paragraphs written by Mormon himself over 1400 years ago.

He explains in his own words what the book is.  This will follow later.

I will now tell you who Mormon was.

Mormon was a prophet historian who condensed a thousand years of historical records kept by his ancestors of which he was in possession of.  

Because of what he did, to honor him, Not Worship him, the book was named after him, The Book of Mormon.

As he was directed by the Spirit, he took the records that the Lord preserved, and by inspiration, he compiled the records needed, which would comprise the Book of Mormon, as it is known today.  

The FULLNESS of the GOSPEL is NOW HERE.

This church is called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and this was the name the Lord Himself called it.

DOCTRINE and COVENANTS 115: 3-4

3 And also unto my faithful servants who are of the high council of my church in Zion, for thus it shall be called, and unto all the elders and people of my Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, scattered abroad in all the world;

4 For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Doctrine and Covenants is a book of Modern Revelations from the Lord to His Prophets Today, directing how His church would be established and operated.

The common doctrine of other churches say that the Lord does not talk to man any more, that it is all in the Bible and there will not be any more scriptures or bibles or revelation, but it is not so.

The Lord loves His children just as much as He did anciently and still talks to them.  This is because He is an unchangeable God.

HE DOES SPEAK TO HIS CHILDREN TODAY.

It is not a new church or a reformed church but the RESTORED church as it was ORIGINALLY in the days of the Savior’s ministry. The Last part of the name is Latter Day Saints to distinguish it from the Former Day Saints of His time.  This is what Members of His Church were called in those days.

In the Lord’s planning, this book would contain the Fullness of the Gospel, including the many plain and precious parts that were lost in the translation and re-translation of the Bible over the years.

The Book of Mormon does not replace the Bible, but it is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ” and is so noted on the cover, as has been directed by the Lord to His church to label it.

The Book of Mormon goes hand in hand with the Bible and to be together as ONE in the Last Days, as stated by Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 37: 16-20

16  Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick and write upon it, For Judah, (The Bible) and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, (The Book of Mormon) and for all the house of Israel his companions: 

17  And join them one to another into one stick; and they will become one in thine hand.

18  And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what meanest by these?

19  Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

20  And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

 

The Bible was written by Judah in Israel and in those days they were written on scrolls and they were called sticks.

The Book of Mormon was compiled and engraved on gold plates by his ancestors who left Jerusalem about 600 BC, being descendants of the tribe of Joseph.

The history of these people was recorded on plates because the Lord knew they had to last for a long time to come forth in the Last Days, otherwise the scrolls would disintegrate.

As mentioned above by Ezekiel, in the last days these two records would be together, one in thine hand.

Today they are, and they are going forth all over the earth.

We do not worship Mormon but honor him and his son, Moroni, who he gave these condensed plates to.

Moroni eventually buried them in upper state New York in the hill Cumorah in Palmyra.

When the time came for the Restoring of His Church, a young boy of 14, who was chosen at the same time all the other prophets of long ago were chosen, in the pre-existence, came forth at the appointed time to restore the church.

He was directed by the Prophet Moroni, who originally buried the plates, to the place the plates were buried.

By the gift and power of God, and use of the Urim and Thummin that were placed in the stone box with the plates.  These were used Anciently.

He was given the ability to translate it, even though he had only three years of formal schooling.

The Urim and Thummin are recorded in the Bible. Abraham had one set.
There were only two sets that we know of in existence in the scriptures.

During the Prophet Joseph Smith’s translation he came across an explanation of what the Book of Mormon is, written by the hand of Mormon.

Joseph put this in the front of the book as quoted below.

Quote:

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.

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.

End of Quote.

The Book of Ether, which were on 24 Gold Plates, which were from the scattering at the time of the Tower of Babel, were included in the Book of Mormon.

This is what Paul said about the Restoration or Restitution of all things:

ACTS 3: 19-21

19  Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

20  And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

21  Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

This is the times of the restitution. 

Here and Now, in Your Day. 

For more information about the church, go to www.lds.org.