JERICHO

 

Obedience to the Lord

 

Just before this time, Moses gave leadership power to Joshua to take Israel over the Jordan.  The Lord told Joshua that Jericho was to be attacked by Israel.  So Joshua told Israel to get ready to cross the Jordan river into Canaan.  In the meantime he sent two spies to cross over and search out the military strength of Jericho only seven miles away.  Somehow they got in the gates and had made contact with a woman innkeeper named Rahab.  They made lodging with her and luckily she already believed in Israel's God and was destined to become a maternal ancestor of Jesus Christ.

 

In the English version of the bible the term Zonah in the text was mistranslated as Harlot, when it ment hostess or inn-keeper.  She had a public house of lodging.  She was not a Canaanite even though she was living in a Canaanite city.  She subsequently married a prince of Judah.

 

Hearing that word got out that she had two Hebrews in her inn, some of the Jericho military came to question her.  Before thay came, she took the two Hebrews on the roof.  After going back down she told the kings men she said they already left. 

 

She went back up to the roof after and asked them to protect her and her family and friends if they attacked because of how she helped them.  The Hebrews agreed.  They told her to bind a red or scarlet bloth to the window so the army of Israel would spare her house.  Three days later they escaped to told Joshua what he needed to know.

 

Joshua 3: 5

 

5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.

Then the Lord talked with Joshua.

 

Joshua 3: 7-17

 

7 And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.

8 And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.

 

9 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God.

 

10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.

11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.

 

12 Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.

13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.

 

14 And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;

 

15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)

 

16 That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.

17 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

 

Then Israel prepared to attack the city of Jericho.

 

Joshua 6: 1-27

 

1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

2 And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.

7 And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord.

8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the Lord, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them.

9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.

11 So the ark of the Lord compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.

12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.

13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the Lord, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

14 And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.

15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city.

17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.  (Meaning everyone and everything, every animal, etc. will be killed except Rahab and her family or house)

18 And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.

20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

22 But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot’s house, (Mistranslate, should be mistress or innkeeper) and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her.

23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.

24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.

25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

26 And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

27 So the Lord was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.

This teaches us to be obedient to the Lord and He will help us to accomplish all things, even when they seem impossible to us.

There are many more details on how they took over Jericho.  To read about it in detail, go to www.lds.org and click on scriptures then Bible then Joshua.

 

 

A BIBLE!

 

We Have a Bible and Don't Need More!

 

Around 600 B.C. in Jerusalem, the Prophet Lehi was preaching repentance to the people at the same time Jeremiah and other prophets were.  The people rebelled against them and the Lord told Lehi to take his family and the essentials he needed and leave Jerusalem.  They eventually ended up in the Americas.  His sons were Nephi, Sam, Laman and Lemuel.  After Lehi died, Laman and Lemuel did not follow the commandments of God and they split from Nephi and Sam.  They became Lamanites.  The Righteous became Nephites.  The Lord chose Nephi to be a prophet to the people.  Between 559 and 545 B. C. the Lord spoke unto the Prophet Nephi and told him what will happen in the Last Days, OUR DAY. 

 

Nephi had been keeping the records of his people since his father, Lehi died.  These records are now the Book of Mormon.  Ezekiel talked about this in the Bible.

Items in red in brackets (    ) are my explanations, other words in red or underlined in red are for emphasis.

 

Ezekiel 37: 15-20

 

15 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,

16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, (this means the bible) and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, (this is 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 shall become one in thine hand.

(This scripture HAS BEEN FULFILLED).

 

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

19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, (this talks about the records that Nephi was writing and it was passed on and continued for 1000 years) and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, (the Bible) 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.

As I mentioned above, between 559 and 545 B.C. the prophet Nephi recorded what the Lord said to him about the Bible and the Book of Mormon which are mentioned in Ezekiel. This is written in the Book of Mormon as follows:

2 Nephi 29: 1-14

1 But behold, there shall be many—at that day when I shall proceed to do a marvelous work among them, that I may remember my covenants which I have made unto the children of men, that I may set my hand again the second time to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel;

2 And also, that I may remember the promises which I have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father, (Lehi) that I would remember your seed; and that the words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed; and my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel;

(The Lord is telling the Prophet Nephi that the promises made to Lehi, his father, and to Nephi, will be fullfilled through the the words he is writing on the Gold Plates, and will eventually come forth unto Israel, which they are part of, and unto the Gentiles (us), as the Book of Mormon.)

 

3 And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.

 

4 But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?

 

5 O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people.

 

6 Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?

 

7 Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?

 

8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.

 

9 And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.

 

10 Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written.

 

11 For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.

 

12 For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; (The Bible) and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; (The Book of Mormon) and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, (The Lost tribes of Israel) which I have led away, and they shall write it; (Meaning that when the 10 Lost Tribes return, they will each have Bibles of their own, so there will be 12 Bibles in total.  so if you have NOT read the Bible or the Book of Mormon, you will have a lot of reading to catch up on) and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.

 

13 And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, (The Book of Mormon) and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; (The Bible, their decendents the Indians, now have it) and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; (Meaning the Jews and the Indians and US THE GENTILES, will have all 12 records) and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews. (Meaning they will have the Book of Mormon and the Bible also).

 

14 And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; (Jerusalem for the Jews and the Lost Tribes of Israel and America for the Tribe of Joseph or Ephraim, and no one can change that because the Lord is in charge) and my word also shall be gathered in one. (Meaning the Book of Mormon, the Bible as ONE as they are now PLUS the other 10 Bibles or records will all be together as ONE) And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever.

Remember, the words in bold RED in (   ) are my explainations, and the rest of the red is for emphisis.  So, pay close attention to the beginning of the brackets and the end of the brackets so you will not get confused where my words start and end and the scriptures start and end.

For further information on these scriptures from over 2500 years ago, go to www.lds.org and click on scriptures and choose Book of Mormon and you will be enlightened to see that the people way back then knew of OUR DAY and what the people NOW will be saying.

 

ENOS

 

Forgiveness and Charity

 

Enos was the son of Jacob who was the brother of Nephi.

 

Enos said he loved his father and that his father taught him in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  He had listened to his father and began to hunger for the remission of his sins.

 

As he states this in:

 

Enos 2-4

 

2 And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.

 

3 Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.

 

4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.

 

His conscience, which is him as a spirit within this earthly body, knew that things were not right, so he tried to gain forgiveness from the Lord because of the things his father had taught him about obtaining eternal life.  While he was hunting he decided to kneel down and pray for forgiveness.  He did this all the day long and into the night.  He was not going to stop until he received it, he had faith that the Lord could make it happen.

 

Then finally it happened.

 

Enos 5-8

 

5 And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.

 

6 And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.

 

7 And I said: Lord, how is it done?

 

8 And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.

 

The Lord told him it was because of his Faith in the Lord that had made him whole, even though he has never seen the Lord or heard his voice. 

This took place about 421 B.C. 

 

A good thing about the Book of Mormon is that records were kept accurately enough that the years computed from 600 B. C. gave an approximate date of different events.

 

Receiving forgiveness of his sins alone was insufficient for Enos.  He began to pray for his brethren, the Nephites and received another answer.

 

Enos 9-10

 

9 Now, it came to pass that when I had heard these words I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren, the Nephites; wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for them.

 

 

10 And while I was thus struggling in the spirit, behold, the voice of the Lord came into my mind again, saying: I will visit thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments. I have given unto them this land, and it is a holy land; and I curse it not save it be for the cause of iniquity; wherefore, I will visit thy brethren according as I have said; and their transgressions will I bring down with sorrow upon their own heads.

 

Once this happened he had more unshaken faith in the Lord and began to desire the same for his brethren, the Lamanites who were struggling to know the truth inside of them about what really happened to them that they became enemies of the Nephites.

 

Enos 16-18

 

16 And I had faith, and I did cry unto God that he would preserve the records; and he covenanted with me that he would bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time.

 

 

17 And I, Enos, knew it would be according to the covenant which he had made; wherefore my soul did rest.

 

 

18 And the Lord said unto me: Thy fathers have also required of me this thing; and it shall be done unto them according to their faith; for their faith was like unto thine.

 

Enos was one of the prophets keeping the record of the Book of Mormon, and he wanted the Lord to preserve the records until the Lord, in His own due time, to bring them unto them.  You will see in reading the Book of Mormon that it did not happen in their lifetime, but it has been happening since 1830.  The descendants of the Lamanites are the Indians of North and Central America.

 

He told Enos that his fathers prayed for the same thing and had the same kind of Faith that he has.

 

In the title page of the Book of Mormon, written by Mormon as he was inspired by the Lord, while compiling and condensing all the records for over 1,000 years, Mormon explained the purpose of the Book of Mormon.

 

Before reading the Book of Mormon, read this which was written by the last prophet in the Book of Mormon, named Moroni (Mormon's son), who buried the plates.  Under the direction of the Lord, he, as a resurrected being, brought them forth 1400 years later.

 

Moroni 10: 4-5

 

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

 

 

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. 

 

If you do this first, you will feel the Spirit of the Lord talking to your heart and mind that the things you are reading are true.

 

Now, here is a part of the title page of the Book of Mormon, written by Mormon, who the book was named after to honor (not worship) him.     

An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi.

 

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.

 

This was the answer to Enos's prayer and Enos's fathers prayer, now, today being answered.

 

To read more about Enos and the other Ancient American prophets who kept the record of the things that happened to them, now known as the Book of Mormon, go to www.lds.org and click on Scriptures.  Search the site and you will find out much more.

 

 

NAAMAN

 

Healed by Faith and Obedience

 

In the royal courts of Syria there was a nobleman by the name of Naaman.

2 Kings 5: 1

 

1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.

 

One day, Jesus was speaking in the Synagogue in His home town of Nazareth and He was talking about an incident that happened to Naaman involving the prophet Elisha. 

 

Naaman’s wife had a maid who had been captured from the Israelites by the Syrians.  The maid was worried about Naaman’s disease and told her mistress:

2 Kings 5: 3

3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.

The prophet Elisha heard that Ben-hadad II, King of Syria had sent a letter to Joram, King of Israel on behalf of Naaman.  He knew the King of Israel would be hesitant concerning the matter, Elisha told the King:

2 Kings 5: 8

8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.

So, Naaman and his company went to Elisha’s house, seeking a blessing.  Elisha sent message to Naaman with instructions what to do.

 

2 Kings 5: 10-14

 

10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.

11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

 

12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.

 

13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?

 

14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

 

Naaman returned to the house of Elisha and declared:

 

2 Kings 5: 15

 

15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.

 

He wanted to pay Elisha for what he did, but Elisha refused it.

Now when Jesus finished the story of Naaman and Elisha, He told them:

 

Luke 4: 27-28

 

27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath....

 

Those listening to Jesus were upset at this reference, since Naaman was a Syrian and not of the House of Israel and since the Savior implied that Naaman had more faith and a higher degree of obedience than could be found among the Israelites.

 

Certainly the point was well taken by Jesus in regard to the skeptical and distrusting leaders among the Jews in the area where He grew up.

 

This teaches us that what happened to Naaman and how he handled the situation, WE ALL should apply in our own lives.  We are here to prove ourselves to the Lord.  We are here to have FAITH in what the Lord says directly to us or THROUGH A LIVING PROPHET.

Whatever instructions we get from the Lord or through a prophet, we need to obey and have FAITH that what was told us is TRUE and will happen.

For more details about NAAMAN, go to www.lds.org and click on Scriptures and read more in the scriptures that were mentioned. 

 

MILITARY SERVICE

 WAR and KILLING and DEFENDING OUR HOMES

 

During WWI and WWII, German members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints fought against American members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 

Both were doing what their governments ordered them to do, kill each other. 

Latter Day Saints on both sides knew and understood the same thing.  Each knew the teachings of the Book of Mormon and also the Articles of Faith.  Each followed the directions of the Spirit. 

 

Some of the German soldiers of other faiths said; the Lord is on our side, and some Americans said the same. 

Truth is, He is NOT on one side or the other. 

 

We cannot expect the Lord to take sides. 

He expects YOU, individually, to be on HIS SIDE. 

He expects you to live a good, wholesome life, repent of your sins, and keep His commandments and to learn more of Him and why you are here on earth. 

He has righteous sons and daughters on both sides. 

 

Many did not want to kill, but it was kill or be killed.  All soldiers wanted to see their families again and to live a full life, but they had to obey their governments.

 

There are many doctrines from the Lord telling us what we should do and how we should act, even against our enemies.  For example:

 

There were two groups of people in the Book of Mormon.  

Each group eventually grew into a nation of it's own. 

In the beginning they were brothers, Laman, Lemuel, Nephi, and Sam.  Troubles developed between Laman and Lemuel against Nephi and Sam. 

Eventually they split and went their own way after their father Lehi died.  Those that followed Laman and Lemuel called themselves LAMANITES. 

Those that followed Nephi and Sam called themselves NEPHITES.  The Nephites tried to live in peace and moved far away. 

The Lamanites hated them and throughout the Book of Mormon, tried to destroy the Nephites.  They rejected the words of the prophets. They did not have or want the scriptures that the Nephites had on Brass plates that they brought with the family from Jerusalem, where they all came from.

 

Throughout the Book of Mormon there were many wars.  The Nephites DID NOT want to fight, but had to so they could exist.  The Lord gave their prophets His guiding word.

 

Alma 43: 45-47

 

45 Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church.

 

 

46 And they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they owed to their God; for the Lord had said unto them, and also unto their fathers, that: Inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offense, neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the hands of your enemies.

 

 

47 And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion.

This goes for us today.  No one wants to fight.  Many of the people in most countries are peaceful.  They want to have families and see them grow up and have grand kids. 

Most of the problems are caused by high government officials wanting more power thinking they know what is best for the people.

The people can think and act on their own. 

They are smart enough to know what is right and what is wrong. 

All of us are sons and daughters of God. 

Each one of us will be held accountable for the decisions we make with our Free Agency. 

This will be at the Great Judgement Bar when this earth test is over.

These three verses, 45, 46, and 47 are for us in our homes.  We have to defend ourselves, and our families, and our lands, our country, and our rights, and our religion.

As long as we did not start the problem, in other words,
Inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offense, neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the hands of your enemies.

None of us want to hurt or kill.  We just want to be left alone to enjoy life, our families and our freedoms.

Many time, the Lord gives us War as a Call from Him for US to REPENT.  He also uses Earthquakes, Tornados and other disasters to awaken us. 

Since we came from the Spirit World into these bodies to be tested, It is not a big event to the Lord when He brings us back, though to us dying seems so horrible because we do not remember the Spirit World we came from. 

For this test, our memory of our former life in Heaven is held back to see what we would do on our own. 

This is like a University test where the books are taken away until the test is over.  We need to show the Lord, or our teachers, what we have learned and most of all RETAINED within us.

We need to live righteous lives and believe in Him, Repent of our Sins and Keep the Commandments He has given us. 

Some are called to stand as a witness against wickedness, but if they are righteous and they are killed, those that killed them will be guilty of shedding of Innocent blood (which is not forgivable in this world or in the world to come), they  will go directly to the Lord and will stand as a witness against the wicked at who killed them on Judgement Day and their Testimony will condemn them

We need to be on His side, doing what He told us to do.  He said the He would be our Champion and fight our battles that we cannot handle.  Trust in Him.

Read the last book in the Bible, the Book of Revelation.  No matter what is done against Israel, even though many will be killed, and the two prophets who will be holding back this army of 200,000,000 with Miracles, will be killed (then rise from the dead in three days), the army that comes against them from all nations, will be destroyed by Jesus Christ, Not Israel.  As the Lord said, he will be their Champion and wipe away their enemy.  Have Faith.

The Lord said that CONTENTION IS OF THE DEVIL.

BEWARE!

For more information, go to www.lds.org and select Scriptures and check out the site.