Sign #1 - The Spirit of Christ Will Be Upon All Flesh.

The Prophet Moroni, when he appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith on 21 September 1823, renewed this promise given by the Prophet Joel in the Old Testament:

 

JOEL 2: 28-32

28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

 

(My spirit mentioned above does NOT mean the Holy Ghost but to the spirit of Christ or light that enlighteneth every man that comes into the world.  Those who listen to this spirit, come to the knowledge of the truth and ACCEPT the Restored Gospel and and are baptised and receive at Confirmation, the GIFT of the Holy Ghost.  The GIFT stays with you always as long as you are righteous.)

 

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

 

30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

 

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, (Red color) before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.

 

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

 

(The quote above about Zion and in Jerusalem lets you know that even the Prophet Joel knew that Zion and Jerusalem are TWO DIFFERENT PLACES.  Otherwise he would had said, In Mount Zion which is Jerusalem.  Mount Zion will be revealed later in the signs.)

It was this Spirit in the Dark Ages that prepared the way and helped them to see the light and translate the Bible, and break away from the darkness of the religious theories of the day which held them back. 

This spirit prepared the way for the opening of the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times which we are now in.  The Apostle Paul talked about this time that would be coming:

EPHESIANS 1: 10

10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

It inspired good men to discover great inventions and technologies which we have today, which was held back from former ages, to be known only in the Last Days before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.



LAYING ON OF HANDS

 

When you give special blessings it must be done by someone with the Authority, holding the Melchizedek Priesthood. 

 

Take baptism as an example.  The Holy Ghost must be confirmed or given after the baptism or the baptism is incomplete.  This is done by the Laying on of Hands by one in authority and is called confirmation. 

 

ACTS 19: 5-6

 

5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

 

6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

 

Other acts are ordinations, callings, healings and graces are all done by the authority of the Melchizedek priesthood.

 

Those who received this conferral in any of the above acts, in a very real sense, have the hand of the Lord upon them.

 

A Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Edward Partridge, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint's First Bishop, near Fayette, New York, December 1830, the Lord said:

 

Doctrine and Covenants 36: 2

 

2 And I will lay my hand upon you by the hand of my servant Sidney Rigdon, and you shall receive my Spirit, the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which shall teach you the peaceable things of the kingdom;

 

Ordinations to offices in the priesthood were performed by the Laying on of Hands.

 

ACTS 6: 5-6

 

5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:

 

6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

 

Setting apart to positions of presidency, administration or responsibility comes in the same way.

 

NUMBERS 27: 18-19, 22-23

 

18 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;

 

19 And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight...

 

22 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation:

 

 

23 And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.

 

Later, just before Moses left, he transferred the Authority to Joshua:

 

DEUTERONOMY 34: 9

 

9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses.

 

Formal blessings are done this way also.

 

MATTHEW 19: 13-15

 

13 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.

 

14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

 

15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.

 

(The above says He blessed them and then He left.)

 

ACTS 9: 17-18

 

17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

 

18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

 

Healing the sick and casting out Devils was accomplished this way.

 

MARK 6: 5

 

 5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

 

MARK 16: 18

 

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

 

LUKE 4: 40-41

 

40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.

 

 

41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.

 

(Isn't it amazing that the devils recognize and know and are afraid of Christ, and billions on the earth don't recognize him or His deeds and don't feel His Spirit or let Him into their hearts?)

 

LUKE 13: 11-13

 

11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.

 

12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

 

 

13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

 

ACTS 28: 8

 

 8 And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.

 

JAMES 5: 14

 

14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 

 

(What immediately follows is the Laying on of Hands to Seal the Anointing by the same Elders with that Authority)

 

To learn more, go to www.lds.org and read these scriptures for yourself. 

 

 

 

 



PART 2 - THE PROPHET NEPHI'S VISION

 

Chapter 13 of 1 Nephi describes Satan's setting up the Church of the Devil throughout the world. 

 

It is not a specific church, but the world itself, the society and wickedness of obtaining and worshiping of worldly things, in other words:  BABYLON.

 

1 NEPHI 13: 1-9

 

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.

 

(Meaning nations and kingdoms that were NOT Jews.  That is what Gentiles are, people who are not Jews.)

 

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.

This was done long before the discovery and colonizing of America.

Then Nephi see more things happening.

1 NEPHI 13: 10-19

10 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld many waters; and they (The Waters - Atlantic Ocean) 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.

 

12 And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, (Columbus) 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.

 

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.  (The Pilgrims)

 

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; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten.

 

(Nephi's seed were now the Indians or the Lamanites of old, who the Gentiles discovered and they scattered and killed them and eventually put them on reservations)

 

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.

 

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 (England) were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them.

 

(The War of Independence)

 

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.

Now Nephi sees a book that the Gentiles bring with them.  It is the Bible.

1 NEPHI 13: 20-36

20 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land; and I beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them. 

 

21 And the angel said unto me: Knowest thou the meaning of the book?

 

22 And I said unto him: I know not.

 

23 And he said: Behold it proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew. And I, Nephi, beheld it; and he said unto me: The book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews, (The Bible) which contains the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets; and it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass, save there are not so many; nevertheless, they contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles.

 

24 And the angel of the Lord said unto me: Thou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God.

25 Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God.

 

26 And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away.

 

27 And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men.

 

28 Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God.

 

29 And after these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest—because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God—because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.

 

30 Nevertheless, thou beholdest that the Gentiles who have gone forth out of captivity, and have been lifted up by the power of God above all other nations, upon the face of the land which is choice above all other lands, which is the land that the Lord God hath covenanted with thy father that his seed should have for the land of their inheritance; wherefore, thou seest that the Lord God will not suffer that the Gentiles will utterly destroy the mixture of thy seed, which are among thy brethren.

 

31 Neither will he suffer that the Gentiles shall destroy the seed of thy brethren.

 

32 Neither will the Lord God suffer that the Gentiles shall forever remain in that awful state of blindness, which thou beholdest they are in, because of the plain and most precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, whose formation thou hast seen.

 

33 Wherefore saith the Lamb of God: I will be merciful unto the Gentiles, unto the visiting of the remnant of the house of Israel in great judgment.

 

34 And it came to pass that the angel of the Lord spake unto me, saying: Behold, saith the Lamb of God, after I have visited the remnant of the house of Israel—and this remnant of whom I speak is the seed of thy father—wherefore, after I have visited them in judgment, and smitten them by the hand of the Gentiles, and after the Gentiles do stumble exceedingly, because of the most plain and precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, which is the mother of harlots, saith the Lamb—I will be merciful unto the Gentiles in that day, insomuch that I will bring forth unto them, in mine own power, much of my gospel, which shall be plain and precious, saith the Lamb.

 

(Speaking of The Book of Mormon, the book translated from the plates that Nephi and others were recording on and has the TRUTHS that were taken away from the Bible and is NOW being restored.)

 

35 For, behold, saith the Lamb: I will manifest myself unto thy seed, that they shall write many things which I shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious; and after thy seed (Nephi)shall be destroyed, and dwindle in unbelief, and also the seed of thy brethren, (Lamanites) behold, these things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles, by the gift and power of the Lamb.

 

(Jesus Christ did this and appeared to them in this land after His resurrection and its recorded in 3 NEPHI)

 

(This is where the Prophet Joseph Smith comes into the picture and he Translates the Gold Plates into the Book of Mormon.)

 

36 And in them shall be written my gospel, saith the Lamb, and my rock and my salvation.

I will be continuing Nephi's Vision in Part 3.

For more information about the Book of Mormon, go to www.lds.org and click on scriptures.  Check out the whole site.

 



 



MIRACLES

 

What are they and do they still happen?

 

Miracles have always happened since man has been on the earth.  Some call it magic, but it's not.

 

A miracle to us is an event that is beyond the power of any presently known physical  power that we know of.

 

They are occurrences which deviate from the known laws of nature and which transcend our knowledge of those laws.

 

In other words, miracles are miracles to us, but not to God, our Heavenly Father.  He knows all the Eternal Laws of the Universe and it is just natural to Him.

 

An Atomic Bomb blast would be a miracle to those living before 1945 all the way back to Adam.  But to those of this day it's not a miracle because we know the science or Laws of how it was done.

 

Miracles in the gospel sense are Gifts of the Spirit.  They take place in the Lord's own time and in His own way to show forth His powers, or when man, by faith, prevails upon Deity to perform supernatural events.

 

In the literal sense, the christian world does not believe in miracles in this day.  They deny completely or even spiritualize away miracles we find in the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

 

The Book of Mormon says that in the last days the people will say: 

 

2 Nephi 28: 5-6

 

5 And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men;

 

6 Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work.

 

Well, let's see.  We know the many miracles that Jehovah or Jesus Christ, who gave the prophets authority and power to perform, for example, in the Old Testament, Moses gave the plagues to Egypt, (see Chapter 7 and 8 of Exodus) later, he parted the Red Sea, (see Chapter 14 of Exodus) Joshua and the city of Jericho (see Chapter 6 of Joshua) are just a few. 

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ himself performed at least 37 miracles, including turning water into wine, healing lepers, raising people from the dead, walking on water, restoring sight to the blind, healing a cripple, casting our demons, feeding 5000 with 7 loaves of bread and a few fishes and they ate until they were full and they gathered up baskets of food and many others. 

After His resurrection He appeared to the Apostles in a closed room.

How could Jesus Christ do this.  He is one of the Godhead and He also knows the Eternal Laws. 

Jehovah, (or Jesus Christ, as He was known after being born on earth, do not discard what I am saying because it is new to you), was the Great High Priest known in the Old Testament times of Abraham and Melchizedek.  The High Priesthood was called, "The Holy Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God." 

Melchizedek was the King of Salem, known as Jerusalem today, and was a great high priest.  

Because they did not want to repeat the name of Deity over and over when talking about the priesthood, it was Re-named Melchizedek Priesthood because Melchizedek was such a great high priest, even to Abraham. 

Today the Melchizedek priesthood is found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Miracles are performed every day all over the world by these priesthood holders.  Healing the sick, casting out evil spirits, healing the blind and deaf, and sometimes even raising the dead.  These are Sacred experiences and are not publicised.

Now, all priesthood holders are not given the same gifts of the Spirit.  

Priesthood holders are given the Authority of the Priesthood which they hold, but the Power of the Priesthood is controlled and operated only upon the principles of righteousness. 

How that holder lives and the faith he has will activate that Power accordingly.  But, it must be according to the Lord's Will. 

Mountains were moved back in biblical times and the Elements could be controlled again if needed, and if the Lord Willed it, by a holder of the Melchizedek Priesthood.  These are His servants and disciples today. 

Miracles do still happen in these days and the world will see much more in the future.

To learn more on miracles or priesthood, go to www.lds.org and search the Scriptures and the site.

 



 



A VISION OF THE PROPHET NEPHI

 

Between 600 and 592 B.C.

PART 1

 

The Prophet Lehi was preaching at the same time as the Prophet Jeremiah in Jerusalem and the Jews were very angry with them.  They did not want to hear about their sins. 

 

The Lord told Lehi to take his family and only the provisions they needed and head into the desert.  He told him that they would be led into a promise land where they would be safe.  

 

The Prophet Nephi, son of Lehi, had a vision of the promise land in the Americas, and what would happen over a thousand year period and it is recorded below.

 

My personal comments in Red brackets (    ). 

 

1 Nephi 12: 1-23

 

1 And it came to pass that the angel said unto me: Look, and behold thy seed, and also the seed of thy brethren. And I looked and beheld the land of promise; and I beheld multitudes of people, yea, even as it were in number as many as the sand of the sea.

 

(Nephi and Sam, his brother, were righteous but Nephi's older brothers, Laman and Lemuel were not and rebelled against their father.  After Lehi died the continued to rebel against Nephi.  They eventually split and became two nations, the Nephites and the Lamanites.  The Lamanites were always trying to kill the Nephites.)

 

2 And it came to pass that I beheld multitudes gathered together to battle, one against the other; and I beheld wars, and rumors of wars, and great slaughters with the sword among my people.

 

3 And it came to pass that I beheld many generations pass away, after the manner of wars and contentions in the land; and I beheld many cities, yea, even that I did not number them.

 

(Now Nephi sees the future and the population and cities that came into existence.  Then in the following verses he sees 600 years ahead when the Resurrected Jesus Christ came to his people, after a destruction of the wicked, and His ministry to them.)

 

4 And it came to pass that I saw a mist of darkness on the face of the land of promise; and I saw lightnings, and I heard thunderings, and earthquakes, and all manner of tumultuous noises; and I saw the earth and the rocks, that they rent; and I saw mountains tumbling into pieces; and I saw the plains of the earth, that they were broken up; and I saw many cities that they were sunk; and I saw many that they were burned with fire; and I saw many that did tumble to the earth, because of the quaking thereof.

 

5 And it came to pass after I saw these things, I saw the vapor of darkness, that it passed from off the face of the earth; and behold, I saw multitudes who had not fallen because of the great and terrible judgments of the Lord.

 

6 And I saw the heavens open, and the Lamb of God descending out of heaven; and he came down and showed himself unto them.

 

7 And I also saw and bear record that the Holy Ghost fell upon twelve others; and they were ordained of God, and chosen.

 

8 And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the twelve disciples of the Lamb, who are chosen to minister unto thy seed.

 

9 And he said unto me: Thou rememberest the twelve apostles of the Lamb? Behold they are they who shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel; wherefore, the twelve ministers of thy seed shall be judged of them; for ye are of the house of Israel.

 

(What he just said was that the Original 12 Apostles that Jesus Christ had in Jerusalem, would eventually Judge the 12 Disciples chosen of Nephi's seed in the Americas.)

 

10 And these twelve ministers whom thou beholdest shall judge thy seed. And, behold, they are righteous forever; for because of their faith in the Lamb of God their garments are made white in his blood.

 

(Now the Angel tells Nephi that the 12 disciples that were chosen of Nephi's seed would Judge NEPHI'S SEED.)

 

11 And the angel said unto me: Look! And I looked, and beheld three generations pass away in righteousness; and their garments were white even like unto the Lamb of God. And the angel said unto me: These are made white in the blood of the Lamb, because of their faith in him.

 

12 And I, Nephi, also saw many of the fourth generation who passed away in righteousness.

 

(Now the Angel shows him that after Jesus Christ would show himself to Nephi's seed, they would be a righteous people for 3 Generations and even some of the 4th Generation, but that would change.)

 

13 And it came to pass that I saw the multitudes of the earth gathered together.

 

14 And the angel said unto me: Behold thy seed, and also the seed of thy brethren.

 

(Meaning the Nephites and the Lamanites getting ready again for battle.)

 

15 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the people of my seed gathered together in multitudes against the seed of my brethren; and they were gathered together to battle.

 

16 And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the fountain of filthy water which thy father saw; yea, even the river of which he spake; and the depths thereof are the depths of hell.

 

(This refers to the vision or dream which his father, the Prophet Lehi saw.  To read Lehi's vision go to Chapter 8)

 

(After Lehi had this vision, Nephi asked the Lord for the same vision and explanations of it.  He received it by an Angel.  Nephi's explanation of it begins in chapter 11 and continues in this chapter, 12.  This is the last part of the explanation of it.) 

 

17 And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost.

 

(Temptations and blinding of the eyes and hardening of the heart.  This is how the Devil works, especially those who he knows are being persuaded to believe in the Book of Mormon as another Testament of Jesus Christ, and he works hard to try and lead them astray away from knowing the truth.)

 

18 And the large and spacious building, which thy father saw, is vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men. And a great and a terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal God, and the Messiah who is the Lamb of God, of whom the Holy Ghost beareth record, from the beginning of the world until this time, and from this time henceforth and forever.

19 And while the angel spake these words, I beheld and saw that the seed of my brethren did contend against my seed, according to the word of the angel; and because of the pride of my seed, and the temptations of the devil, I beheld that the seed of my brethren did overpower the people of my seed.

 

(So the Prophet Nephi sees that his seed, the Nephites are all killed because they eventually became more wicked than the seed of Laman and Lemuel or Lamanites.) 

 

(Only a few Nephites were left and we do not know what happened to them, except one, because the Lamanites were hunting each one down to make sure they were all dead.) 

 

(The Prophet Moroni, the one we know of, who at this time was the last prophet and son of the Prophet Mormon, and who had the remaining record or plates and was ending the record of the destruction of his people.)

 

(Moroni kept going North and ended up burring the plates in upper state New York in a hill he named as Comorah.) 

 

(The Lord chose Moroni to come back as an Angel and give the plates to The Prophet Joseph Smith and the Lord commanded Joseph Smith to translate the record and get it out to the world and form His church for the last time before the Second Coming.) 

 

(The Lamanites eventually became the Indians of the North American continent and these Indians did NOT come over the Bering straights as some historians say, and are part of Israel, to whom the Book of Mormon is a Record of their Ancestors, written by their Ancestors for them.)

 

20 And it came to pass that I beheld, and saw the people of the seed of my brethren (The Lamanites) that they had overcome my seed; (The Nephites) and they went forth in multitudes upon the face of the land.

 

21 And I saw them gathered together in multitudes; and I saw wars and rumors of wars among them; and in wars and rumors of wars I saw many generations pass away.

 

(The Indian wars between the Tribes.)

 

22 And the angel said unto me: Behold these shall dwindle in unbelief.

 

(Meaning they would be left to themselves until the Gospel (the Bible) then eventually the record of their people in the last days (NOW) the Book of Mormon would come to them.)

 

23 And it came to pass that I beheld, after they had dwindled in unbelief they became a dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations.

 

This chapter shows the importance of Prophets in former days and TODAY. 

 

Many say there are NO PROPHETS or APOSTLES in this day.  It ended at the death of the original Apostles. 

 

This is Satan's plan so that people WILL NOT LISTEN or investigate NEW SCRIPTURES.  This is the Blinding of the Eyes and Hardening of the Hearts spoken of above. 

 

These NEW Scriptures DO NOT TAKE THE PLACE OF THE BIBLE. 

 

THEY ARE A SECOND WITNESS OF JESUS CHRIST AND GO HAND AND HAND WITH THE BIBLE.

 

GOD is NOT DEAD.  He still speaks through His chosen prophets that He raises up to give guidance to His Children, US. 

 

Do not believe it when ANYONE says there are no more Bibles or Words of God to us today.  That God's work is finished. 

 

It is Not Finished.  He said it Himself that His work is not finished until the end of man.  There is more of His words now and more coming. 

 

To check out these scriptures for yourself, go to www.lds.org and click on Scriptures, then Book of Mormon, then 1 Nephi then the chapter needed.

 

You will find that the Bible and the Book of Mormon and words of TODAY'S LIVING PROPHETS are Cross referenced with each other. 

 

Your Sincere Prayer and the testimony of the Holy Ghost will let you know the truth of all things. 

 

This could be the Warming of the Heart and the Enlightening of the Mind or a STILL SMALL VOICE that will tell you of the Truth of what you are reading. Then you will know for sure, YOURSELF. 

 

 

 

REPENTANCE and FORGIVENESS

 

It is REQUIRED of US by the LORD

 

On Election day I was listening to a talk show doing the election coverage and one guest, when they were talking about the killing in Benghazi, Libya. 

 

It was said that no one knew exactly who was responsible for NOT giving the order to go in and save the Ambassador and the other men. 

 

Then this guest said that he would NEVER FORGIVE THE ONE RESPONSIBLE, for the REST OF HIS LIFE. 

 

The Lord tells us that no matter what someone does to US or to someone else we love or what ever the act is, we MUST FORGIVE THEM IN OUR HEART. 

 

Read this scripture and PONDER it in your heart.  This is the Lord speaking through a Prophet of God:

 

Doctrine and Covenants 64: 9-10

 

  

9 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.

 

10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.

 

You may say inside, what he or they did was horrible. 

 

How can he or they get away with doing it?  

 

How can everyone forgive and act like it never happened.

 

That is not what the Lord is talking about. 

 

We lived with the Lord before we came here.  We are His sons and daughters.  We were spirits then. 

 

He knows each one of us better than our earthly parents do.  He knows our thoughts and actions and what we really feel and believe inside. 

 

We have been sent to earth and given earthly physical bodies and our memory of our former life has been temporarly blocked out for this test.  

 

He has given us prophets and inspired scriptures to give us hints.  There are many places in the Bible and the Book of Mormon that tells us that we lived before this life here. 

 

He knows who we really are.

 

He is the only one who knows the circumstances of each of our lives and what our thoughts and feelings were before we came here and what they are now. 

 

He is the ONLY ONE that knows all the facts about the incident or action and can fully judge what happened and why.

 

He knows that if WE DO NOT FORGIVE, this will keep festering and building inside of us and we will not get on with our lives here on earth and perform the mission each of us agreed to do here. 

 

We are ALL here for a reason.

 

The Bible says He knows our thoughts and actions.  It is all being recorded WITHIN US and in Heaven. 

 

NO ONE will get away with anything.  Nothing can be hid  from God.  Don't think that you can lie one little bit to Him.  He knows what you are thinking before you say it.

 

We will be punished by the Law here on earth or there in Heaven.  Justice cannot be cheated. 

 

He knows who will be punished and who will receive Mercy depending on each person's circumstances. 

 

If WE Repented of our sins, the Atonement that the Lord performed for each of us WILL TAKE EFFECT IN OUR LIVES.

 

Remember, this life is a TEST for everyone.   

 

The only things that WILL NOT come up at Judgement Day are the things you have HONESTLY REPENTED OF.

 

Real repentance, meaning, repenting of a sin and NOT doing it again.  Some of us fall back and do the same sin again. 

 

You must try again, meaning, you DID NOT TRULY REPENT THE FIRST TIME. 

 

Some of us have to keep trying, but the sins that will not come up at Judgement, are the ones we OVERCAME and did not repeat it.

 

Books could be written with many details on what can be done.  The best one is called The Miricle of Forgiveness by a prophet, President Spencer W. Kimball.

 

For further information, search the scriptures at www.lds.org or pick up this book from www.seagullbook.com or www.deseretbook.com where many books from Living Prophets are available worldwide.