After passing through 900 years of Book of Mormon history we arrive to the days of Mormon—a time of great inequality, political insecurity, great wickedness and marvelous prophecies. Within the small book that bears his name the opportunity awaits us to...
read moreJust three years before the coming of Christ to the American continent, secret combinations that opposed faithful prophets proclaiming repentance destroyed the stable Nephite government. Social chaos quickly followed as the society divided into numerous clans and...
read moreCovenant making and keeping are the life blood of spiritual living. Covenants teach us of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, covenants inspire us to keep the commandments in the name of Christ, and the cords of covenants loose us from the bands of death and hell, sealing...
read moreOne of the most beautiful and doctrinally significant discourses in the Book of Mormon was given by Jacob, brother of Nephi in 2 Nephi 6-10. The farewell speech of King Benjamin or the sermons of Jesus Christ when he visited the American continent are all well...
read moreIntroduction Nephi provides one of the most remarkable visionary experiences recorded in scripture. In the short sweep of four chapters he unveils patterns of the plan of salvation woven into the threads of world history. In the process he also elucidates four vital...
read moreIntroduction The Book of Revelation has long been the source of much mystery, speculation, fantastic interpretations, and the source of near suffocating fervor that the world will be destroyed in five minutes (I just hope that I can finish this article before that...
read moreThe final chapters of Acts present us with an enormous amount of information—historical, geographical and doctrinal—as it follows the last years of Paul’s earthly ministry. To do the richness of these texts justice, I feel tempted to just sit down and write...
read moreImagine walking into a packed theater at a moment when the show is most dramatic and exciting. Everyone sits on the edge of their seat, ears attuned to every uttered word lest they miss something of great importance. The intensity of the moment is palpable. But...
read more“He descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth” (D&C 88:6) Christ came to save us from our sins. He came to show us by word and deed how we might live lives of joy and...
read moreAs we approach our study of the scriptures may we be like the inquisitive Theophilus of Luke searching for the certain witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. To satisfy such spiritual desires, faithful early Christians such as Luke composed lengthy expositions called...
read moreChrist’s visit to the Americas marks the climax of the Book of Mormon when we would expect the greatest of epiphanies, the most illuminating of revelations and the most marvelous of mysteries to be unfolded. Truly, great epiphanies were displayed as Christ descended...
read moreAs the man of God returned to the city, most people did not notice him. He had returned to preach the message of repentance that had previously caused this wicked people to seek his life. But this time he “came among them in disguise, that they knew him not” (Mosiah...
read moreJacob 1—Prophetic and Priesthood Responsibility We owe much to faithful Jacob. He and his direct posterity preserved for us a crucial portion of the Book of Mormon, the Small Plates of Nephi (1 Nephi – Omni), which include all of the key doctrines and principles of...
read moreHave you ever wondered if you would sleep through the sound of the trumpets on resurrection morning (D&C 45:45-46)? Or have you ever considered that sleeping patterns of today may adversely affect you tomorrow? From a spiritual perspective these are essential...
read moreIntroduction Nephi provides one of the most remarkable visionary experiences recorded in scripture. In the short sweep of four chapters he unveils patterns of the plan of salvation woven into the threads of world history. In the process he also elucidates four vital...
read moreJames may be the most important book of scripture for the Restoration. The now famous passage, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,” (James 1:5) set the young Joseph Smith to deep pondering, which led him to follow the simple and pragmatic counsel...
read moreEarly in this last dispensation a resounding call went forth through the Prophet Joseph Smith that the message of the gospel should be preached to all people. Our missionaries are going forth to different nations, and in Germany, Palestine, New Holland, Australia, the...
read more“And who is my neighbor?” This is the great question of the Good Samaritan story, a story that we have all listened to carefully many times, studying the different characters, the plot line and ultimately the loving compassion and mercy that one human shared with...
read moreIntroduction Early chapters of the Gospels share various aspects of Jesus Christ’s divine mission: Messianic prophecies, glorious birth, precocious youth, exemplary baptism and the spread of gospel truths. Christ was not to be alone in his mission, however, except in...
read moreFrom June 3 to June 6, 1831 ((This conference had been convened based on revelation given to Joseph Smith in February 1831 and is now found in Section 44 of the Doctrine & Covenants.)) the fourth conference of the Church was held in a log school house on the...
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