The Book of Mormon & The New Testament

“And then at that day will they not rejoice and give praise unto their everlasting God, their rock and their salvation? Yea, at that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine? Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God?” (1 Nephi 15:15).

One of the most common criticisms of the Book of Mormon is that its themes are anachronistic. In other words, it sounds too much like the New Testament to have been written hundreds of years before the coming of Christ. The image of Christ as a "vine" is an example. It is first seen in the Bible in the New Testament when Christ says, I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman (John 15:1). How could Nephi have used this image before Christ did? How could this theme be known to him at that time?

Nephi was a prophet who had just seen an incredible vision of the history of the world including the life and ministry of the Savior. He had the spirit of prophecy and taught Messianic principles that would be contained also in the Old Testament if so many plain and precious parts had not been taken away from that record.

When the Dead Sea Scrolls were examined, both the Jews and the non-Mormon Christians were astonished because the scrolls contained so much "New Testament" doctrine but were written prior to the coming of Christ. This finding doesn't surprise a student of the Book of Mormon. It confirms that the Lord was teaching his Old Testament era prophets the higher law long before it was given by the Savior in the flesh.

Christ, The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

Jesus Christ frequently taught in parables. In addition to a positive superficial meaning, parables had an additional deeper and more profound meaning pointing to His divine mission. The parable of the Good Samaritan is no exception.

A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho (verse 30.) 

We are all represented by the "certain man". The decent from Jerusalem to Jericho represents our premortal existence and leaving Gods presence to come to Earth. There are not very many references to the pre-existence in scripture. This is an exciting one. 

And fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead (verse 30.) 

During mortality, Satan lies in wait to spiritually injure us and steal from us our divinity and righteousness. 

And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side (verse 32.) 

Worldly religion and even The Law of Moses have no interest helping or cannot even if they wanted to. 

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him (verse 33.) 

Christ is the Good Samaritan who is looking to save us, the Poor Wayfairing Man. 

And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine (verse 34.)

Christ has the power to heal spiritual wounds by repentance (wine) and covenant (oil).

And set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him (verse 34) 

And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee (verse 35.) 

Not only will Christ return, but Christ commends us into the care of His Church (inn) and His authorized servants (host) who have been called and empowered to act for Christ. 

That great pit, which hath been digged...by that Great and Abominable Church...shall be filled by those who digged it

“And that great pit, which hath been digged for them by that great and abominable church, which was founded by the devil and his children, that he might lead away the souls of men down to hell—yea, that great pit which hath been digged for the destruction of men shall be filled by those who digged it, unto their utter destruction, saith the Lamb of God; not the destruction of the soul, save it be the casting of it into that hell which hath no end.” (1 Nephi 14:3)

Satan has prepared a spiritual trap for the saints of God. Nephi sees that the Lord will preserve and protect the saints and that the great and abominable church will be cast into the pit. Nephi more vividly explains how this happens in chapter 22 of 1 Nephi:

“And the blood of that great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads; for they shall war among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own heads, and they shall be drunken with their own blood.

“And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it.

“For behold, saith the prophet, the time cometh speedily that Satan shall have no more power over the hearts of the children of men” (1 Nephi 22:13-15).

The secret as to how the wicked will be destroyed is said to be because they shall war among themselves. This is interesting because John the Revelator uses the same imagery of a pit to preface his discussion of the wars he sees occurring in the last days. (See Revelation 9:1-11, 11:7, 17:8-18.)

(Kind of makes you think about what is happening right now with the United States, North Korea, Russia, China and other countries.)

Finally, after Satan makes war with the saints, an angel casts Satan into the bottomless pit for a thousand years. 

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled” (Revelation 20:1-3).

Second Coming Myth #1

Myth #1: Every person on earth will have heard the message of the restored gospel before the Lord returns in glory. 

I suppose this idea has spread because of the Savior’s declaration on the Mount of Olives: “And again, this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come, or the destruction of the wicked” (Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:31). 

Elsewhere we read that “the sound must go forth from this place into all the world, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth—the gospel must be preached unto every creature, with signs following them that believe” (D&C 58:64).

Yes, every man and woman who comes to planet earth will have an opportunity to hear and receive the fullness of the gospel, in his or her own tongue (D&C 90:11). But we all know that many of our Father’s children do not have that opportunity in this life; hence the powerful and expansive work of preaching the gospel that is going forward beyond the veil of death in the spirit world (D&C 138). 

In addition, the work of gathering—which is really missionary work, the process by which the people of the earth are gathered to Christ, his gospel, his doctrine, his Church, and to the congregations of the faithful (see 1 Nephi 15:13-15; 2 Nephi 6:10-11; 9:1-2; 10:7-8)— will go forward in the great Millennium, after his coming in glory. This gathering will be of such a magnitude as to cause all previous gatherings to almost fade into insignificance (see Jeremiah 16:14-17; 1 Nephi 22:24-25; 2 Nephi 9:2; 30:6-18; 3 Nephi 21:25-26). All will hear, to be sure, but not necessarily before the Master returns.

One’s Calling and Election does not require that one see God

We should not be surprised that many prophets granted the sealing power had a theophany experience—those in scripture are often the founding prophet of a dispensation or for a specific group of people. A theophany is their only option, since no legal administrator is to be found.

In scripture receiving one’s calling and election does not require that one see God or Christ personally. Alma the Elder, for example, was one of the wicked priests consecrated by King Noah (Mosiah 17:2). Converted by Abinadi’s preaching, he escaped the king’s court and taught while in hiding (Mosiah 18). He eventually led a group of believers to Zarahemla (Mosiah 23–24), where King Mosiah made him the supreme head of the Nephite Christian church, giving him “power to ordain priests and teachers over every church” (Mosiah 25:19, 26:8). Later, when troubled by a matter of internal dissention, Alma received a revelation:

And it came to pass that after he had poured out his whole soul to God, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying: Blessed art thou, Alma, and blessed are they who were baptized in the waters of Mormon. Thou art blessed because of thy exceeding faith in the words alone of my servant Abinadi…. Thou art my servant; and I covenant with thee that thou shalt have eternal life; and thou shalt serve me and go forth in my name, and shalt gather together my sheep (Mosiah 26:14–15, 20).

Alma is the head of the church. He here has his calling and election made sure—he is promised eternal life. Yet, God explicitly points out that Alma has believed simply because of Abinadi’s words. Until now, he has had no theophany, seen no angels, nor seen the face of God. Even now, he only hears God’s words. Enos likewise hears a voice, but reports no vision (Enos 1:5, 10).

Being Pure in Heart

Written by missionaryforever

AVOW, September 2016

On this forum we talk a lot about the future and call-outs and the world as we know it collapsing, etc. And occasionally also the building of Zion. Frankly, the only thing that excites me about “tent cities” is that I see it as the prelude to building Zion, i.e., something we must go through on the path to Zion. If the future doesn’t lead us to Zion, then life would be pretty bleak.

The reason I bring this up is that in order for us to eventually make it to Zion we must become Pure in Heart. Only the pure in heart will be allowed to enter that great city, not those who have their year’s supply of food, and a tent that will handle high winds. So if you will permit me, let’s see what it will take for you and me to become pure in heart, because that is what it really is all about.

When Jesus spoke with those in ancient Israel and to the Nephites he said: “Blessed are all the pure in heart, for they shall see God” 3 Nephi 11.

In Doctrine and Covenants Section 130:20-21 it reads: “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.”

So the key to the blessing of seeing God (and being allowed into the city of Zion) is to be Pure in Heart. Now let’s discuss those principles that will lead each of us to having this wonderful quality, which is what the Temple Endowment teaches by covenant (Note to reader: I am not revealing anything about Temple Covenants that has not been published on the church website, for example, see this link https://www.lds.org/liahona/2012/07/...h-god?lang=eng)

As I researched the phrase “Pure in Heart” I discovered many qualities that take a person on the journey to becoming pure. Keeping the commandments and repenting of sin is the first step. But the type of repentance and obedience described here is because we want to change, and we no longer have a desire to sin (which is the definition of being born again.) This is the repentance that King Benjamin spoke of in his great and final address to his people contained in the book of Mosiah.

Once we have a firm desire for obedience (the first temple covenant), then we move on to the second; sacrifice. As President Kimball spoke in his talk on Becoming the Pure in Heart (April 1978 ), he said “we must eliminate the individual tendency to selfishness”. This is the second covenant, that is, to live the Law of Sacrifice. The law of sacrifice is the opposite of the anti-Christ doctrine taught by Korihor in which he said “every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime”. Those who subscribe to Korihor’s doctrine think only of themselves and will go to any lengths to feed their selfish desires. Whereas, a true disciple of Christ is unselfish and has great desires to teach and serve others.

The third temple covenant is the Gospel covenant. To live the Gospel of Christ is to honor and worship him whose sacrifice for us allows us to be cleansed and sanctified. To live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord, to testify of him, to honor him, to have faith in him and repent and to be grateful for him is the Law of the Gospel. As we strive to become more like him each day, we in turn become more and more pure in heart as he is pure.

In a world where the evils of sexual immorality is everywhere, the next temple covenant and principle of purity is challenging to all who live at this time. I think this principle is more than just abstinence when you are single and fidelity when you are married; it is keeping from even the appearance of evil, and staying away from all forms of immorality, even in entertainment. To watch any form of media today that makes light of the sacred power of creation through casual relationships will keep us from being pure in heart.

Finally, the last temple covenant is that covenant that will make Zion possible. To consecrate is to set aside and dedicate to a purpose. When we give freely of our time, talents and means we are really giving ourselves. To give our all in the building up of the Kingdom of God and not our own kingdoms is the crowning principle that proves to the Lord that he is the most important person in our lives. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:21

As we learn to live and love each of these covenants, we will become pure in heart, and as we become pure in heart we have the right by law to see the face of God and be a citizen of Zion.

Understanding the Atonement by Understanding the Body

Written by Steve Reed

November 1, 2010

Many of the following quotes were obtained by a presentation given at BYU by Philip A. Allred called “Made Holy in the Body“.

THE BODY IS A RECORDING DEVICE

Our body is literally a recording device, it is equipped with at least five known senses with which we take in the world around us. With our brain, we process the information and with our will we determine what to do with it. Here are some quotes from Presidents of the Church on this topic.


From President John Taylor:

“…I could show you upon scientific principles that man himself is a self-registering machine, his eyes, his ears, his nose, the touch, the taste, and all the various senses of the body, are so many media whereby man lays up for himself a record…” (Pres. John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, 26:32.)

From Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

In a real though figurative sense, the book of life is the record of the acts of men as such record is written in their own bodies. It is the record engraven on the very bones, sinews, and flesh of the mortal body. That is, every thought, word, and deed has an effect on the human body; all these leave their marks… (Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 97.)

Again from Pres. Taylor:

God has made each man a register within himself…. Your eyes and ears have taken it in, and your hands have touched it… (Pres. John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, 11:77-80).

From President David O. McKay:

Psychology assures us that ‘We are spinning our own fates, good or evil… Every smallest stroke of virtue or of vice leaves its never so little scar…. Down among his nerve cells and fibers the molecules are counting it, registering and storing it up to be used against him when the next temptation comes. (Pres. David O. McKay, quoting William James in Conference Report, April 1956, 7-8.)

From Spencer W. Kimball:

There are dark, deep corners, locked rooms, isolated spots, but no act, good or bad; no thought, ugly or beautiful ever escapes being seen or heard. [Each] one will make the imprint on the individual and be recorded, to be met and paid for. (Pres. Spencer W. Kimball, Teaching of Spencer W. Kimball, 155.)

From our Church-produced manual Gospel Principles:

There is another record that will be used to judge us. The Apostle Paul taught that man himself is the most complete record of his life (see Romans 2:15; 2 Cor. 3:1-3). Stored in our body and mind is a complete history of everything we have done. (Gospel Principles, 284.)

From Pres. John Taylor:

Man sleeps for a time in the grave, and by-and-by he rises again from the dead and goes to judgment … it would be in vain for a man to say then, I did not do so-and-so; the command would be, Unravel and read the record which he has made of himself, and let it testify in relation to these things, and all could gaze upon it. It is not because somebody has seen things, or heard anything by which a man will be judged and condemned, but it is because that record that is written by the man himself in the tablets of his own mind—that record that cannot lie—will in that day be unfolded before God and angels, and those who shall sit as judges… (Pres. John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, 11:78-79).

From Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

When the book of life is opened in the day of judgment (Rev. 20:12-15), men’s bodies will show what law they have lived. The Great Judge will then read the record of the book of their lives; the account of their obedience or disobedience will be written in their bodies. (quoted in LDS Church News, 26 June, 1993; from Mormon Doctrine, 97)

TRANSGRESSION CREATES A PHYSICAL RECORD

Sins and transgressions are not just ethereal ideas, but an actual, physical records we create that reside within us. This is why thoughts can be sins.

Whether you act it out or not, you have instructed the synapses in your brain, those little cells, to produce an incorrect or impure sequence of data; you have willed something evil into existence. It may not exist in the world as an action, but it exists in your brain just as data exists in a computer in the form of ones and zeroes. A being who uses their will to instruct matter to form into imperfect structures cannot ever participate in eternal life where creation and the instruction of matter and intelligences is the entire purpose.

In this life, your brain is your own private universe, with every facet and fragment created by you and through your actions, brought into the sphere of this world to influence the lives and futures of your fellow beings for good or for evil.

This is why we only receive a ‘remission’ of sin through baptism. Just like cancer in remission, it still resides in your body, but it doesn’t effect your progression and ability to act. The cancer may be removed through surgery or a change in the physical body. Likewise, sin, or ‘imperfect code’ must be removed from the body of man through another process we understand as ‘the resurrection’.

THE LIFE AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST CREATED A 'TEMPLATE'

Jesus never committed sin in his mortal flesh so that his body could be a ‘template’ for all the rest of mankind. He conquered death so that we might be resurrected and he lived perfectly so that we might be resurrected to a state of perfection.


From Brigham Young:

…if we take a course to promote the principles of life—seek unto our Father and God, and obtain his will and perform it, the spirit will become purified, sanctified, cleansed, and made holy in the body, and the grave will cleanse the flesh. When the spirit overcomes the evil consequences of the fall, which are in the mortal tabernacle, it will reign predominant in the flesh, and is then prepared to be exalted… (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 7: 287.)

Again from Brigham Young:

…by obedience to the Gospel of salvation, and the renovating influences of the Holy Ghost, and the holy resurrection, we shall put on the image of the heavenly, in beauty, glory, power and goodness. (Discourses of Brigham Young, 373-74)

From Joseph Fielding Smith:

If we will just be true and faithful to every covenant, to every principle of truth that he has given us, then after the resurrection we [will] come back into his presence and we [will] be just like he is. We [will] have the same kind of bodies—bodies that [will] shine like the sun. (Joseph Fielding Smith, Take Heed to Yourselves!, 345.)

FOR YE ARE ALL THE CHILDREN OF GOD BY FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS

The apostle Paul taught the Galatians: 

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29)

The phrase “put on” is from the Greek word “Enduw” (pronounced “en-doo’-o”) which means: “(in the sense of sinking into a garment); to invest with clothing (literally or figuratively):–array, clothe (with), endue, have (put) on.” This might be a link to understanding the connections that the Temple “Endow”ment has to the resurrection.

We will literally ‘put on’ Jesus Christ in the resurrection by receiving a new body formed by his ‘template’ that never had evil or imperfection recorded into it. This is how Jesus was able to atone for the ‘sins of the world’ and how there is no sin that cannot be cleansed by the atonement. It covers everything because he literally replaces corruption with incorruption. This is the miracle of the resurrection and why “when He shall appear we shall be like Him.” (1 John 3:2)