The Adventure Resumes

 I have a copy of Royal Skousen's seminal work, The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text. (A link to the book on Amazon is below.) I continue to read the Book of Mormon daily. I recently finished my latest read through. This next time, I've decided to read, not the standard edition printed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the version in Skousen's book. Unlike previous read-throughs I feel like sharing my insights this time through on this blog. There may be some repetition of comments, but there will be a different focus this time around. Rather than writing with an apologetic voice, I plan on writing with an affirmative voice and such insights as I feel to share.

I've been doing this for a few days now, so here are my thoughts for what I've read so far. I hope you find some value in what I share here.

Regards,

Ken Cluff

Zedekiah, King of Judah

I read an article about the Savior’s birth and when Lehi really left Jerusalem that doesn’t exactly conform to the Sunday School version of events. This different version rings true to me, even though it’s a bit different.

Most historians today think King Herod the Great died in 4 BC given the association of his death with a lunar eclipse near that time. If so, then the Savior’s birth, since he was born before Herod’s death had to be earlier than 0 BC. Years earlier. 

With that being the case, it presents an opening for critics and skeptics to claim the Book of Mormon can’t be true because its account doesn’t support the actual history. I don’t think it does though and here’s why. According to Jeff Chadwick, Jews considered Zedekiah to be the legitimate heir to the throneupon the death of his father Josiah and the disappearance of his older brother Jehoahaz. They were murdered by the Egyptians, archeologist think in about 609 BCE. He argues the Jews of that day considered him king even though Jehoiachim was installed as king by the Egyptians. It wasn’t until much later when Zedikiah was made king by the Babylonians.

With this view of history, it’s easy to have Lehi leave Jerusalem 600 years before the Savior’s birth. There’s a four year window in which that could occur and still have the timelines work. What it also means is that Lehi may have spent a lot more time preaching in Jerusalem than we might have assumed... years even.

For me, it’s an easier nuance to swallow than the alternative theory of shorter “years” some argue the Nephites used to make a 600 year interval between Zedekiah was made king and the Savior’s birth.

Dating the Departure of Lehi from Jerusalem

Dating the birth of Christ

The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text - Amazon

The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text - Barnes and Noble

The Safe Way Forward

We live in a time of extraordinary civil unrest and turmoil. It’s unsettling. As responsible parents and individuals this uncertainty makes it hard to plan and live our lives. The questions on our minds are, “where do I find the honest answers to these questions?” “How can I know for sure what I should be doing in response to events of our day?”

Trying to figure out what the facts are is difficult. It’s a given social media is agenda driven. If you want to listen to an echo chamber, you need look no further. But if you want a more informed source of information where do you turn?

It used to be people could turn to the news to get information about people and events. But not today. People on both sides of the issues have little confidence in new agencies. Democrats (Liberals and Progressives) consider Fox News, most of talk radio, and a few newspapers to be shills for the President.

Republicans (Conservatives and Libertarians) view the “MSM,” the “Main Stream Media,” most cable news outlets and most newspapers as little more than propaganda organs for the DNC. Their credibility is so stained, even the President mocks them with the moniker “fake news.” 

Regardless of your political leanings, the reality is news organizations today have overt agendas. Having one is nothing new: the “voice” of a news organization has always been either the owner or publisher. If the publisher wanted something said, the news organization would say it. But, years ago, reputable news agencies enforced a discernible boundary between news and opinion. Today's advocacy journalism has blurred that boundary to the point of nonexistence. Advertising and agendas, not truth, drive the news cycle. As evidence for this, I offer Andrew Sullivan’s blistering departure letter from the New York Magazine. It’s also the root cause of the enormous libel settlements several formerly reputable news organizations are paying Nicolas Sandmann. Click bait headlines is more evidence that this behavior is pervasive in the industry.

So, in the midst of this war of ideas where a tumult of opinions masquerade as news, where can you find the truth about events of our day? There is only one answer. It’s the same one people of all generations have had: personal revelation. President Nelson urged members to develop a greater ability to receive personal revelation from God. The seminal scripture which started the Restoration, James 1:5 doesn’t limit what a person may ask of God. It states: “if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.”

President Nelson also said, “good information leads to good revelation.” The Doctrine and Covenants, tells us to “study it out in your mind, then ask.” Moroni promises, “by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” So the promise for an answer is there. But, you must ask in humility and with the understanding the Lord will tailor His answer, whatever it is, to your personal needs. 

Of the few instances where I’ve heard of people asking these very sort of questions, the answers were rarely, “this guy is right while that guy is wrong.” In one case, the answer was, “don’t worry about it. Let it go.” In another it was, “it’s not needful that you know.” For another, the answer was, “this is something you must be more involved in.” And another was insight into the concepts Heavenly Father thinks are relevant and correct for the situation, an insight incidentally which had little to do with the person’s original question.

The common theme through all the answers is the Lord saying: “have faith in Me. I will take care of you and deal with those things outside your sphere of influence.” The scriptures give clear examples of how different those answers can be. Alma the Younger’s answer was to preach the Gospel. For a time, both Mormon and Ether's was to stand as an idle witness: to do nothing. In contrast, Abinadi's was stand as a bold witness, even though it cost him his life doing so.

There will also be times your preconceptions and emotional state will obscure clear answers. Consider Lehi’s and Nephi’s understanding of the river of water in their respective visions of the Tree of Life. Lehi’s anxieties for his sons' welfare blinded him to the water’s filthiness which Nephi saw. 

The lesson of the perfecting of the Olive vineyard in Zenos’ vision in Jacob chapter five is also instructive. In that vision, the perfection of the vineyard was an iterative process. The Lord removed the most wicked first. As righteousness increased, He removed the worst remaining fruit. The Lord repeated this process  until He finished. Your answers will change over time too, depending on where you are on your personal path of discipleship.

So, ask the Lord to learn what you should do. But do so with humility for He may answer your question with “No,” or with an answer you are not expecting. The thing to remember is to ask in faith then hearken to the answer you get. That is the safe way through these days.

A Tale of Two Peoples

In a recent talk in Sacrament meeting, I touched on the concept of how important it is to repent quickly. I used the story of the people of Zeniff as an object lesson to teach the following concepts: Heavenly Father takes us where we are. Repentance is better sooner than later, and our choices directly affect what He does to help us. In other words, while He allows us our agency, He will also exercise His in choosing what to “do” for us.

A quick recap: The people of Zeniff returned to live in the land of Nephi among the Lamanites. They wanted to live in the lands they fled from a generation earlier. In time, Noah becomes the king and leads them from one degree of wickedness to another.

Finally the Lord sends the prophet Abinadi to warn them. He gives the first warning: repent or you will be brought into bondage. They ignored his warning. Two years later he comes again. The warning now is; they will be brought into bondage and destroyed if they don’t repent. (Note that the course correction is more severe.) Here is where the tale of these two people splits.

Converted by Abinadi, Alma preaches to and converts a small group of the people of Noah. They are discovered and flee for their lives into the wilderness. They establish a community and live for years in obscurity and peace. The rest, people later called the people of Limhi, travel a much different path. They are conquered by the Lamanites and after several failed attempts to fight their way to freedom endure years of virtual slavery.

Over a period of time, they too are converted to Christ, (Mosiah 21:33) and want to be baptized but have no one with authority to do it. They send out a team of people to find Zarahemlah. They fail in this but they do find the plates of Ether. Finally, two generations after Zeniff left, Ammon and his group find them and help them escape. A Lamanite army is sent after them to capture them and bring them back. It fails to do so, but in the process finds Alma and his group. The Lamanites enslave them for a short period of time, fulfilling Abinadi’s prophecy.

The good news of this episode is both groups become religious stalwarts among the Nephites. God delivered and guided both of them to where they were, but they both took different paths because of choices they made along the way. The sobering point of the story is how different those paths were and how much more difficult one was than the other.

The same holds true for us. Heavenly Father will work with us to get us back to His presence, but our choices affect the path we need to take to return to Him. I’d rather do it the easy way.

One Among Many

For the first time, in a long time, I went to see the lights on Temple Square last night with some friends. The beauty of the lights was breathtaking... but it was bone-chilling cold too. I have the raspy voice this morning to prove it. A part of the beauty were all the people there. It was almost shoulder to shoulder crowds everywhere on the square and the plaza between it and the Church Office Building.

It caused me to reflect on my position in the church. Most of the time, for me the church is a very personal affair. I pray. I go to the Temple. I feel the Spirit there and when I read the scriptures. It's all so intimate I feel a close, personal connection with Heavenly Father. I often lose site of the fact that the LDS Church is much bigger than just me. Being on Temple Square gave me a glimpse of just how large the Church really is. It was quite invigorating in a way.

Then, when I saw this image this morning of a deep space Hubble photograph with all the thousands of galaxies in the image, I realized, my perspective is still off. In our galaxy alone there are at least three hundred billion stars. Statistically, scientists estimate there are at least two or more planets orbiting each. That's a lot of planets! Now, while our galaxy is larger than most, there are in the observable universe more than 100 billion galaxies... each with it's billions of stars. If the physics hold true for them as us, that number of planets becomes innumerable.

It gives special significance to the scripture in Moses: "world without number have I created... for all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine." I feel small and insignificant when I contemplate the full meaning of that... yet ... When I think that in all those galaxies and all the stars in them and all the planets... and all the life that must exist on them. In all that great vastness of the universe, God still knows me and has personal moments with me. How He does it, I have no idea. That He does is a miracle and a marvel for which I am profoundly grateful. As we celebrate the birth of His Son, I'm mindful of the fact that in all the people for whom He came, He also came for me... and you.

That makes me happy. Merry Christmas to you all.

The Jems of Ether 12

I hadn’t thought to write more. But as I read and pondered Ether 12 again this morning, I felt another entry would be appropriate.

Ether 12 is filled with many precious gems of truth, not the least is Moroni’s thought provoking account of a personal appearance of the Savior. Even now, after reading it many times, I still marvel at the expression “… and that He told me in plain humility even as a man telleth another…”. Imagine the Savior appearing and speaking in plain humility to you.

It is also a great dissertation on faith and how it works and why it is so important for us to live by faith. There is a weighty warning and a promise in the statement “…dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.” If you ever wonder, “why hasn’t God heard my prayer?” keep this in mind. In reality, He has heard your prayer, it’s just that in His wisdom, which I strive not to second guess, He’s chosen the response He has. It’s still worth it to stay faithful… to stay in the game.

Lastly, I feel to comment on a passage in verse 37, “…if they have not charity it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful…. Because thou has seen thy weakness, thou shalt be made strong….” What a great promise to those who acknowledge their dependance upon God and remain faithful through the adversities of this life!

Prophecies

It’s been a while since I posted. I’m not too sorry about it because I’ve been preoccupied lately with a new job and a new chapter in my life. I’m hoping to get back on track with this entry.

I just have to say, this section of the Book of Mormon which tells of the Savior’s visit to the Nephites becomes much more relevant when in the midst of a trial you turn to the Savior for help. When I read about Him weeping for the people or blessing each child one by one, I’m left with the powerful impression that He feels the same for us.

I’ve been going to the temple quite a bit lately. Feeling the divine resonate within you as you ponder the profound truths which are taught there is something everyone should experience. There’s no way to share it because there are no words to describe it. I can say I’ve come to comprehend that God plays the long game. He’s interested in us being happy. He wants us to live… not just exist. The best way to live is His way and that way is what Jesus was teaching the Nephites. It’s also what the church teaches today.

For that I’m profoundly grateful. I finally get it that commandments are a blessing because they show how to attain the greatest joy you can have in this life. They don’t restrict you, they empower you. It’s like me in my profession: I have the power to write software because I know how to do it. If you don’t know what I do, you can’t do what I can. That’s how commandments are: they show you how to live joyfully in the face of adversity and in great prosperity.

This is what the Savior was trying to teach the Nephites. He told them when we, the Gentiles, got the gospel it would either bring us great joy because we chose to live it or great sorrow because we chose otherwise. Based upon what’s in these sections of the book, we Gentiles don’t get it.

A Personal God... A Personal Savior

When the Savior blessed the children of the people of Bountiful, He also prayed for their parents. This passage underscores what I’ve written about before: with God, everything is personal. The written account speaks of how the people marveled when they heard the Savior pray for them. If you ever wondered what He says when He pleads our case to the Father, this passage in 3 Nephi 17:15-17 gives us a clue as to what it must be.

This fact is also shown when He blessed the children and the people went forth to touch his feet and hands. It was all one on one. How would you like some time like that with the Savior? The beauty of the Gospel is you can.

The personal nature of the Gospel is also manifest in the temple. There are no group ordinances — everything is done for the individual. When I go there, I represent just one person at a time. Implicit in all the church does and the doctrine of Christ is the importance of the individual.

I can’t comprehend how Heavenly Father is mindful of all His children everywhere across the cosmos, but He does. It’s enough for me to know that of all His children everywhere, He still knows me. Along beside Him, the Savior likewise knows us personally. That is comforting. That is one of the greatest truths of the Gospel: we are children of a personal, loving God. And representing our needs to Him is Jesus Christ, the Great Mediator. The Mediator who’s prayer for the people filled them with indescribable joy.

What do you want from this?

The "this" referred to the counseling sessions I began last Thursday. My therapist asked the question. I found the answer much harder to give her than I thought it would be. I realized, I have needs I can't define -- I know only that I have them.

In some aspects, my life is a shambles. The details aren't important for this post. Suffice it to say, if what I wanted in life was a course on a map, then I'm way off of it, in uncharted wilderness I don't recognize. In other aspects, I'm more thoroughly grounded in Jesus Christ than I've ever been. He is ever with me, especially now.

I still couldn't answer the question. So she gave me an assignment, to write down my values: what ones define me, what do I aspire to incorporate into my life. After thinking about it for a few days, I came up with a list of twelve which define my values-context: the framework upon which I live.

Those values are important to me alone, but my reading of the Savior's visit to the Nephite's is germane to my needs and I suspect to us all. You see, a lesson I've learned from my experiences of these past two years is, to varying degrees, we are all broken. Whether seen by all or hidden deep within our hearts, we all bear burdens of pain and affliction. Each of us needs the Savior's healing touch. The great lesson of His appearance to the Nephites is He healed them all. Not only did He heal them, He also taught them how to live meaningful, joyful, and happy lives. 

This is why Jesus Christ is so important: as He did for them, He can do for us.

Alma - 5 - A PPI with the Savior

Alma Chapter Five is one of my favorites in the Book of Mormon. A friend once observed it is a type and shadow of the interview you’ll have with the Savior after this life. I’m inclined to agree. That said, there are books worth of material discussed in this chapter. (Have you noticed I say that a lot?) The Book of Mormon is doctrinally dense. It’s like the oriental game “Go” I watched old men playing in Korea: the rules are simple, but mastery takes a lifetime. It can be read in a day almost, but mastering it will take years, even decades.

That said, this time through a couple passages stood out to me. The first is verse seven where Alma tells how the Lord saved the people of Noah. As I pondered that, I realized we all are, to different degrees, in spiritual darkness. His saving them is a testament to us that no matter where we are, the Lord can reach us too.

I also was touched by verses 45-47 where Alma teaches that he knew the truth of all that he’d taught because he’d learned for himself they were true. By fasting and prayer, he’d come to know the truthfulness of what he taught. Here is a person who’d seen the Savior and Heavenly Father in an unforgettable vision which changed his life. Despite this, or more accurately, besides this, he’d devoted a lifetime to studying the scriptures, prayer and fasting. And through these actions, the Holy Spirit had taught him the truth of these things.

He paid the same price to know which we must pay today. The powerful lesson is that as Alma did it, so can we…

Mosiah 12-16 - Abinadi: A Study in Courage

I want to start with a thought I introduced in my previous post about the warnings Abinadi gave the people of Noah. After two years, he returns to prophecy to the people. He says because they haven’t repented, the consequences are worse. Not only will they be brought into captivity, now if they don’t repent, they’ll be destroyed.

This doesn’t go over too well with the people. They capture and bring him to Noah. In Noah’s court, he is summarily condemned as a troublemaker and mad, worthy of death. Then the miracle begins. God protects him and allows him to give his message. He teaches of the preparatory role of the Mosaic Law and of the coming of Jesus Christ and the law He will bring.

In doing so, he quotes one of my most favorite passages of scripture, Isaiah 53. Who isn’t moved by the poetic power of such phrases as, “with His stripes, we are healed?” Or, “all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him, the iniquity of us all?” This often brings me to tears to read it.

One of the tactics I use to make it more real for me is a simple word substitution. If you replace “the Lord” with “Heavenly Father,” “Jesus Christ” for “him” and your name for “us” or “we,” it will drive home the power of this passage and show you just how personal our salvation is. We are unique individuals to Them. I am convinced that during the Atonement, the Savior saw each of us, with all our weaknesses, sins, and sorrows and said, in effect, “I do this for you, because I love you.”

I marvel at that. Such is the power of the message Abinadi delivered to Noah and to one of his priests, Alma.

Mosiah 3 - Speaking, again, of Christ

Such a goldmine! I read Mosiah 3 this morning. From a spiritual point of view it’s like trying to drink from a fire hydrant because of the great density of doctrine it contains.

In here is a scriptural definition of the torment the wicked will endure. There are comments about what the Savior will/did go through for us. There is more about our relationship with Him. Again and again, the message is said, that only through Christ can we enjoy all the Father has for us. Only through Him can we find lasting and true joy in this life and in the life to come.

There are stern warnings to those who know better who turn away from Christ and seek their own path through life. Open rebellion is a weighty phrase. Yet that’s what Benjamin uses to describe the actions of those, who having been taught the truth turn away from it to seek their own way through life. The consequences are dire.

This is one of those passages where I hear Elder Maxwell’s voice saying Jesus is not only the God of Love, but also the God of the straight and narrow path.

2 Nephi 25 - What I said

That phrase pretty much explains what Nephi says in this chapter. He summarizes what Isaiah wrote by declaring the future history of the Jews. Along the way, he admits Isaiah is hard to understand for those who don’t have the Spirit to explain or an understanding of how the Jews prophecy.

Then he speaks of Christ.

What strikes me most in this chapter is the clarity of his description of the Savior and His role. Nephi’s finishes with his desire to teach Christ to his descendants. There is a great change on display here in First and Second Nephi of their understanding of the Savior. At the beginning, when Lehi has his vision, he describes seeing, “One who’s luster exceeds that of the noon-day sun, comes down out of heaven followed by twelve others.”

Today we know the One was Jesus Christ. At that time, Nephi and Lehi didn’t. But after all the revelations and experiences they had coming to the Promised Land, they knew Him well. This chapter shows that new level of understanding.

So it is for us. One of the goals God has for us in our personal journeys to our own promised lands is to learn of His Son, Jesus Christ. Through all the trials and hardships and our personal moments on the mountain, we can come to know Christ in a powerful, personal way.

We have the same opportunity. Like them, once we learn, we need to teach Him to our children.

2 Nephi 16 - Jehovah, Seraphs and the Temple

In Isaiah 6/2Nephi 16, Isaiah recounts a vision in which he sees Jehovah in the temple. In Revelations 4, John’s revelation changes tone from being one of counsel to the seven churches in Asia Minor to an apocalyptic recitation of what he sees. While Isaiah sees inside a temple, a place where God lives or visits, John sees into Heaven where God resides.

In both places, there are “winged” creatures. Isaiah calls them Seraphim, John says they are “beasts.” They have common qualities in that both have six veils or wings and that they both sing praises to God. Did both men see the same thing? It’s interesting to contemplate, especially when you realize they are separated by nine hundred years. Word meanings can change a lot in that time.

What I found most interesting in this is in Isaiah and the purification he goes through. Isaiah cries he is unworthy to behold the vision. In response an angel comes (one of the Seraphim??) holding a hot coal in tongs and purifies him by touching it to his lips.

This is a ritual purification: touching your tongue with a glowing coal will not purify your soul but destroy your tongue. So, where on earth do we have a place where we can be in God’s presence and be purified through a ritual? Yep, the Temple.

I don’t know why it is, but God uses actions to teach abstract principles. We eat a piece of bread and drink a small cup of water to help us remember the Savior. Likewise, we do things in the temple to help us learn eternal truths and make covenants with God. There’s a lot more to these actions and accounts than meets the eye. It’s the Holy Ghost that explains it all.

2 Nephi 9 - the Atonement made simple

In the temple, we make covenants with God. The key ones are: obedience, sacrifice, righteous living, chastity and consecration. Each builds upon the preceding, like layers in a road. To endure, every road needs a strong foundation. For these covenants, it is the Savior and the Atonement.

Jacob’s teaching about it in 2 Nephi Chapter nine goes into depth on explaining why and what it means. It’s no secret God empowers us to ascend to higher levels of righteousness through covenants. While they do, it is the scriptures which help us more completely understand them. This chapter is all about the Savior’s Atonement and what it means for us. Simply, this passage explains in plainness why He did it.

We read in the preceding Isaiah passages of God’s great power and an exhortation to us to trust Him and obey Him. Chapter Nine explains that power and why we should. To more fully appreciate His role in our lives and why it’s important to us, we need to understand this chapter.

While this might seem like basic doctrine, it’s often good to remember and refresh our understanding of the basics. Like that road, it’s the foundation for everything that follows.

Sorry for not having many entries lately, between the rush of the holiday season and all the snow we’ve had, I’ve been kinda busy. I’m still here.

1 Nephi 11 - The Lamb of God

If you recall my earlier post about 1 Nephi being a chiasmus, this chapter, eleven, is the apex. And what does it teach? Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, who was sent to earth to die for the sins of all men. He is the personification of the love God has for us. Hence, He is also represented as the Tree of Life.

When  you think of 1 John 15, where the Savior uses the image of Him being the vine and we are the branches? This image of the tree becomes more complete. There are powerful and life changing concepts being portrayed here. As I ponder this and how He did this willingly for us, the impressions become deeply moving.

Jesus Christ is not only the Tree of Life, He is also the Fountain of Living Waters. His love, the Father’s love, is sweeter than anything the world has to offer. Having experienced and felt it when forgiven for past sins, I can attest to this. The fickleness of human nature being what it is, I have to be constantly reminded. Sigh. Fortunately, God’s patience is as deep as His love.

It’s not surprising this is the apex of the chiasmus or of 1 Nephi. This was new doctrine for him and he has done everything he can to emphasize its importance to whomever reads it. I can only wonder what Mormon included in the Book of Lehi. Had Joseph not lost the manuscript, this would likely have been a summary retelling of the entire Book of Mormon. As it is, it sets the stage for what follows.

It is a second witness of Jesus Christ, reaffirming and clarifying the scriptural testimony of God contained in the Bible.

1 Nephi 8 - Lehi's Vision of the Tree of Life

The Vision of the Tree of Life is unique in scripture. I can’t think of anywhere else where you get two people’s accounts of the same vision. First, Lehi experiences it and we have Nephi’s record of his account. We then get Nephi’s.

A comprehensive dissertation on this would take a book, so you won’t get that here. I’ll touch the differences when I review Nephi’s version later. Instead, I’ll write about what stood out to me. The first thing is, if you didn’t already know, the Tree of Life is a representation of Jesus Christ. He is The Love of God manifest to us. This is the same vine spoken of in John 15. There is more joy and meaningful living, beyond our capacity to comprehend even, if we remain “attached” or wholly committed to following Him.

The proximity of the river to the tree is deliberate. It represents the filthiness of Hell and a life in opposition to the Savior’s. It was placed there, not by God, although He allowed it, but by Satan. A life of sorrow, enmeshed in sin is no further than a single choice away. That’s how close it is to us, so we must be ever vigilant to always stay by the tree.

Today, especially with the Internet, we live enveloped in the mist of darkness or the deceptions of Satan. While the image of clinging to a rod in profound darkness is compelling. I was especially struck by the realization that it is by feeling the rod that we hold on to it. When we study the scriptures, it’s what we feel that gives us guidance and strength. The world, Satan, demands we be “rational” in our approach to the things of God. He insists we must see, touch, hear or taste things to believe in them. But the senses can be deceived.

The evidence of the Gospel on which we make life choices, is not seen nor touched. Rather it is felt within the confines of our hearts and minds. It may evoke powerful emotions, but the evidence of the Spirit is not emotion. For that reason, we will be considered duped, mindless minions of a cult, disconnected from reality and not altogether with it. Oh well.

Moroni 7B - Faith, Hope and Charity

Understanding the principles defined by faith, hope and charity and then using them is the best way to happiness and true success in this life. They are principles by which even Heavenly Father lives by. Consequently, they are principles which we will benefit greatly by mastering in this life. They are simple to express, but they will take lifetimes of effort to learn.

In the simplest form, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ becomes the motivation for what we choose to do. It gives us confidence not in our abilities, but in God's grace to help us do whatever He asks of us... especially repenting and becoming like Him.

Hope is the vision we have of ourselves… what we can become.

Charity is THE motivating emotion of Heaven. It’s putting the needs of others before our own because their happiness means more to us than our own.

Moroni chapter seven is the summary chapter. Alma 32 is the great chapter on faith. 1 Nephi has powerful examples of hope, of vision of what we can become. The Saviors visit to the Nephites is all about charity. We see these lessons repeated throughout the Book of Mormon. They are in the temple endowment ceremony and ordinances. They define the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are why the Prophet Joseph Smith correctly said abiding by the teachings of this book will bring a man closer to God than any other.

Amen!

Ether 12 - Jesus Christ

In some respects, Ether 12 is THE reason why that book is included in Book of Mormon. (In reality it’s loaded with great doctrine and truths, but Chapter 12 is one of the best in all scripture, ranking up there with Mosiah 4, Isaiah 53, D&C 76, D&C 84, and John 17.)

While Ether 12:27 is well known for its great promise of Christ’s grace in helping us be strong, a lesser known jewel, but no less valuable scripture is v. 39. “And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things.”

This casts the rest of the chapter into its correct perspective. It is the transcript of a conversation between Jesus and Moroni. It is our great privilege to have it for our perusal and spiritual blessing.

As an aside, like so often happens when God speaks to man to answer a question, the answer often goes far afield from the original topic. The Jaredites never had Ether 12. Not even the Nephites… we are the recipients. For I suspect by that time in Moroni’s life, there was no one for him to share it with.

Like the rest of this most amazing book, it was written for our day. For us.

Ether 9-11 - The Age of Kings

These thee chapters in Ether cover hundreds, if not more than a thousand, years of time telling the genealogy of a succession of Jaredite kings. Some were righteous, most were not. The common thread running through it all is the Lord always strives to teach and bring us, His children, back to Him. Most of the time, we’re to busy to bother.

He often has to resort to pain and suffering to get our attention. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t.

When a society ignores the Lord, just as certain as gravity pulls us down, it descends into darkness, materialism, anger and war. The headlines of newspapers and the internet show we are well on that path to war. Secret combinations rage. People are focused on ephemeral interests of no lasting value, totally absorbed in the goal, “I’m gonna’ get what’s mine, no matter what it costs anyone else…”

Such are our days. Yet in all that darkness, there were still prophets and enough who listened that the Gospel of Jesus Christ endured. So it is with us, though we live in times of darkness, we can still have a personal relationship with the Savior. It won’t spare us the difficulties of this day, but it gives us hope to endure it well.

Ether 3 - The Lord Speaks to the Brother of Jared

Heavenly Father used the need for light as a way to prepare Jared's brother to see the pre-mortal Savior. As I commented in the previous posting, God knew exactly what He was doing when He pushed the question back on him.

One take away from this is God doesn’t always telegraph His intentions. So our best attitude when interacting with Him is one of gratitude, faith, patience, and trust.

Another take away is when you ask for anything from God, you just never know what it is you’re going to get in reply. In this case Jared’s brother, not only saw the Lord’s finger, he saw His entire spirit body and then the whole history of man on the Earth. He’s then told to write it down but to tell no one what he saw. As a result, the Jaredites never knew of this remarkable encounter.

My guess is only trusted prophets, who kept the records knew, if anyone did, of what they contained. I say that because Ether had to know what was in them to include them in the twenty-four plates which Limhi’s party found. Not to mention, Alma warned Helaman about their contents and that it should not go to the people. Then again, there’s nothing to state the 24 plates were all the same nor that they were made at the same time. The only known transposing of the record is when Moroni wrote the account into the Book of Mormon. We do know in 3 Nephi, Mormon says he’s told not to write all that he knows because our faith needs to be tested. Surely some of what he withheld is the rest of this revelation.

Who's to say the history of mankind upon the earth is what’s in the sealed part? I think it is, but we’re not in a position nor frame of mind to deal with it. As I’ve said before, mercy is the motivation behind us not knowing as much as anything. So, we move forward in faith, grateful for what we’ve been shown and looking to the day when we no longer see through the glass darkly.