Tag: Mosiah

There Never Were Greater Things Made Manifest

~ Richard Rowley

The brother of Jared was the first prophet among the Jaredite civilization that existed in the Americas prior to 600 B.C. He recorded a revelation from the Lord that was translated by the Nephite king, Mosiah, and included in the sealed portion of the Gold Plates that the prophet Joseph Smith was commanded by God not to translate (the unsealed portion of the Gold Plates that was translated became the Book of Mormon).

The Nephite prophet Moroni, who abridged the record of the Jaredites after it was translated, testifies that the power, meaning, and contents of the Lord’s revelation to the brother of Jared were as great as any other revelation received by a human being.

“Behold, I have written upon these plates the very things which the brother of Jared saw; and there never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared. Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he commanded me that I should seal them up…For the Lord said unto me: They shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord. And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are.” (Ether 4:4-7)

Questions:

-Who is Moroni referring to when he uses the word “Gentiles”?

-Could a revelation as great as that which the brother of Jared received be accurately captured by an earthly language?

For a free copy of the Book of Mormon please go to https://www.ComeUntoChrist.org/site/book-of-mormon

I the Lord Am a Jealous God

~ Richard Rowley

The Book of Mormon record reemphasizes the importance of the Ten Commandments given by God to the Israelite people. The Nephite prophets who taught their people and recorded scripture drew on a record called the Brass Plates (which were brought from Jerusalem) that contained most of writings of the prophets found in the Old Testament up to 600 B.C., including the book of Exodus containing the Ten Commandments.

Posts for the next several weeks will focus on a section of Mosiah chapter 13 that presents the Ten Commandments in wording very similar to the King James Translation (but with some interesting variations). Words and punctuation in italic show instances where the wording and punctuation is different from the King James version.

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of things which are in heaven above, or which are in the earth beneath, or which are in the water under the earth. And again: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.” (Mosiah 13:12-14 – Compare with Exodus 20:4-6)

Questions:

-Why does God care if the people who have covenanted to follow Him choose to follow other gods?

-What does the word — that the translators of the King James version of the Bible decided to translate as “jealous” – say about God’s concern and emotions towards those who have proclaimed themselves as His? Would a God without body, parts, or passions be capable of this kind of feeling?

-When the Lord speaks of those who hate Him in these verses, is He referring to those who have received His covenants and the Holy Spirit and then still rejected Him as their God. Or, is he referring to those who hate him merely as an idea or as someone else’s God?

The Knowledge of a Savior Shall Spread throughout Every Nation, Kindred, Tongue, and People

~ Richard Rowley

An angel (speaking to King Benjamin who then recounted the vision to his people as recorded in chapter three of Mosiah) prophesies that the time will come when all will be accountable to repent and exercise faith because of their knowledge of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

“…The time shall come when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. And behold, when that time cometh, none shall be found blameless before God, except it be little children, only through repentance and faith on the name of the Lord God Omnipotent.” (Mosiah 3:20-21)

Questions:

-How close is this prophecy to being fulfilled?

-With the advent of the internet, air travel, etc., how long will it be before this prophesy is fulfilled?