I Already Have a Bible (2 Nephi 29)

The Bible

There are those who believe that The Bible is the Word of God, there are those who do not believe The Bible is the Word of God, and there are those who don't know and/or care if it is or ain't His Word.  Count me in as one of them believers.  I believe The Bible contains the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and is filled with historical and personal accounts of ancient prophets, apostles and believers, and their teachings and dealings with Heaven.  Well, I guess they're not all "believers".  An old Seminary Teacher I had once warned us that...

The Bible contains the words of God, men and the devil, so be sure you know who's speaking to you...

...or something like that anyway.  Good advice, I think.  There's an untrue story of a fella who needed to know what direction he should go in life, so he let his Bible fall open and looked at the first verse that his finger landed on...

And Judas went and hung himself

then flipped to another...

Go thou and do likewise

Anywayz...

I have had the opportunity to teach Seminary and Sunday School classes on The Bible, and have had my heart touched and my testimony of Jesus Christ deepened and strengthened by doing so.  I love Isaiah's messages of the coming Messiah.  I love Paul's personal insight into the mercy and love of The Savior.  I love John's understanding of the Atonement when he said, "We love Him, because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19)  And I love reading of the life and miracles of The Savior in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
  

Nowhere else can we actually walk where Jesus walked...

 

Sit with Him in His temple...

 

Listen at His feet as He teaches the Way, the Truth and the Life...

Even watch His agony while His Apostles slept...

We can be there at the tomb when it was discovered empty, and we can be there when the resurrected Christ says so affectionately to a chosen daughter of God, "Mary."

 

I do love The Bible, and I appreciate very much the sacrifices of the men and women who made it possible for me to have one, in English.  Lot of 'em died trying to get the Word of God into the hands of His people.  I watched a documentary on this subject a while back.  It was a tragic and heroic tale, and an important history to learn. It was called Fires of Faith.

This blog deals mainly with The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.  The chapter I am on today is 2 Nephi 29, which talks about whether the BOM will be accepted by a people who already have The Bible.

Some people believe The Book of Mormon to be the Word of God.  Some people do not believe the BOM is the Word of God.  Others don't know or don't care if it is or ain't.  Count me in as one of them believers.  I believe The Book of Mormon contains the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and is filled with historical and personal accounts of ancient prophets, apostles, believers and unbelievers, and their teachings and dealings with Heaven.

Both The Bible and the The Book of Mormon are recorded writings of ancient prophets, apostles and believers.  Some prophets from The Bible include Moses, Isaiah, Malachi, Peter, Matthew, Paul and Christ Himself.  Some of the prophets from the BOM include Lehi, Nephi, Mosiah, Alma, Mormon, Moroni, and Christ Himself when He visited the Nephites shortly after His death and resurrection.

Just a couple of verses from 2 Nephi 29 and I'll close up shop here.  Remember, Nephi is at death's door, and is giving a few last teachings before he buys the farm.  In speaking of the coming forth of The Book of Mormon, which he was writing this in at the time, Nephi warns that people will reject The Book of Mormon on the grounds that there can be only one book that contains the Word of God.

2 Nephi 29 

3.  And because My words shall hiss forth -many of the Gentiles shall say:  A Bible!  We have got a Bible, and there cannot be anymore Bible.

8.  Wherefore, murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of My word?  Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another?  Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another.  And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.

12.  For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.

13.  And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.

14.  ... and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against My word and against My people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever.

The Bible and The Book of Mormon are the Word of God, and contain the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know this through the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Ghost, by whom The Book of Mormon testifies "we may know the truth of all things."

You can know for yourself.  Pray.  Ask Him.  Life doesn't have to be such a mystery...

The Book of Mormon; Moroni: 10: 3-5

Peace be with you...

The things which I have written are true (1 Nephi 14)

So, Happy New Year to all y'all.  Christmas was a perty busy time, as it is for most, and then my wife and I went to Vegas on New Year's Day and stayed for a few days; it was our anniversary on January 2nd.

Em & me at the Vegas Temple

Anywayz, it's been 10 days since last I wrote, so I hope I can sync my thoughts with my intentions and deliver unto you a most profound and poignant post on 1st Nephi chapter 14.  I highly doubt it, but here's a couple of thinks.

In this, the final chapter inclusive of his vision, Nephi is shown the eventual inhabitants of the promised land (the Americas) to which Lehi's family are on their way, and the future state of the abominable church as opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ in the days leading up to the 2nd coming of The Savior.  Despite a great effort by Satan and the idiots who support his goals to overcome the Church of The Lamb, followers of Christ, though few in number (relatively speaking) will be found all across the earth.  Key to this victory will be the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.

In these pictures: The left is Moroni burying the golden plates, an abridged combination of all the records of the Nephites and the Jaredites (the book of Ether), near Palmyra, New York about 421 A.D.  The one on the right is Joseph Smith in 1830 holding the 1st edition of the newly translated plates, called The Book of Mormon.  

1 Nephi 14: 1-2

1.  And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks.
2.  And harden not their hearts against The Lamb of God, they shall be numbered among the seed of thy father; yea, they shall be numbered among the house of Israel; and they shall be a blessed people upon the promised land forever; they shall be no more brought down into captivity; and the house of Israel shall no more be confounded.

And 1 Nephi 14: 7

7.  For the time cometh, saith The Lamb of God, that I will work a great and a marvelous work among the children of men; a work which shall be everlasting, either on the one hand or on the other -either to the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal, or unto the deliverance of them to the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds unto their being brought down into captivity, and also into destruction, both temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the devil, of which I have spoken.

The "great and marvelous work" the angel spoke of is the miracle the restoration of the gospel in our day, the coming forth of the BOM, and the spreading of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to every nation on earth, beginning with 6 original members in 1830 in New York state to over 14 million world wide today. 

1 Nephi 14: 12-14

12.  And it came to pass that I beheld the church of The Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that the church of The Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the great whore whom I saw.
13.  And it came to pass that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together multitudes upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God.
14.  And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of The Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of The Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.

In this world where it seems like there are so many bad ducks that the good ducks don't have a chance, it's nice to understand that the Armor of God can both protect us and enable us.  Being armed with righteousness and the very power of God in great glory is no small thing.  In order to have this blessing applied to us, we must follow the principles contained in the scriptures.

Here's one:

1 Nephi 14: 5-6

5.  And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, Nephi, saying:  Thou has beheld that if the Gentiles repent it shall be well with them; and thou also knowest concerning the covenants of The Lord unto the house of Israel; and thou also has heard that whoso repenteth not must perish.
6.  Therefore, wo be unto the Gentiles if it so be that they harden their hearts against The Lamb of God.

So we come to the end of the chapters covering Nephi's big vision, but not the end of the vision itself.  The angel told Nephi that he must write the vision he has seen up to this point, but that he must NOT write what he will be shown after that point, which included the end of the world as we know it.  That responsibility, the angel said, was given to the Apostle John from the New Testament.  The book of Revelation can be a beast (beast, get it?) to understand, and I guess that was intended to be the case.  The angel told Nephi that John's original writings were plain, pure and precious, and easy to the understanding of all men.  Something must have happened between then and now, 'cause I don't understand so much of it.  It's interesting to me that, although the corruption of the record of the Jews (The Bible) was done by the abominable church, it seems to me it was also part of the overall plan of our Heavenly Father.

And Nephi closes with this groovy verse:
1 Nephi 14: 30

30.  And now I make an end of speaking concerning the things which I saw while I was carried away in the spirit; and if all the things which I saw are not written, the things which I have written are true.  And thus it is.  Amen.

 

Peace be with you.

These last records will establish the truth of the 1st (1 Nephi 13 part 2)

I love the Bible.  In the Gospels of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) we can walk where Jesus walked, hear His conversations as a half-mortal here with us on earth.  Christ was half-mortal because his mother Mary is mortal, and his Father, our Heavenly Father, is immortal and Eternal. We'll talk more about His sacrifice being an "Infinite Atonement" later in 2nd Nephi.



Merry Christmas!!!  Today is Christmas Day, the day we celebrate the birth of the Son of God, the Savior of the world.  Millions of people around the world will read Luke chapter 2 from their Bible, which tells the story of His birth in Bethlehem.  My wife gave me the dvd "A Charlie Brown Christmas" for Christmas this morning.  Contained therein is one of the greatest orations ever done of the famous Luke 2 Nativity verses when Linus tells Charlie Brown what Christmas is all about.  I have no idea how to put videos on my blog, so you can go to my friend Middle-aged Mormon Man's blog and see it there.  He's smarter than me :)

Having said that, I must tell you that the Bible is not without its faults.  I met lots of people in Kentucky who would punch me in the throat if they heard me say that.  But, it's true; Parts of it were lost, parts of it were intentionally left out, parts of it were translated incorrectly, etc.  1 Nephi chapter 13 talks about the coming forth of the Bible, the precious truths which were left out of it, and of The Lord's wisdom in bringing forth another record (the BOM) to clarify His gospel. 

1 Nephi 13: 20-23

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, 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.

Note:  The record carried by the Gentiles (the Bible in it's entirety) is not as large of a record as the Brass Plates Lehi's family carried with them, which only contains the 5 books of Moses and writings of the prophets from Moses up through 600 B.C. 

1 Nephi 13: 24 & 26-27

24.  And the angel of The Lord said unto me: Thou hast beheld that the book poceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceedeth forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fullness of the gospel of The Lord.
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.

Don't worry.  The Lord knows everything, and there is not anything, save He knows it.  He saw these things coming from a mile away.

1 Nephi 13: 35-36

35.  For, behold, saith the Lamb: I will manifest myself unto thy seed, that they shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious; and after thy seed shall be destroyed, and dwindle in unbelief, and also the seed of thy brethren, behold, these things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles, by the gift and power of The Lamb.
36.  And in them shall be written my gospel, saith the Lamb, and my rock and my salvation.

In my words:

After the death, resurrection and ascension of The Savior, and the subsequent deaths of the apostles, many of the truths that Christ brought were lost.  Christianity remained a huge part of the development of civilization, and they did amazingly well with what they had, but the missing truths affected them for generations, splintering them into different Christian sects representing vastly differing interpretations of the doctrines of Christ's gospel.  The Lord's answer to this was to bring forth the Book of Mormon, translated by the gift and power of God.  The BOM and Bible work together in enlightening our understanding of Heaven's truths.  A person's study of either of these inspired books will be greatly enhanced by a study of its counterpart.
 

In the words of the BOM:

1 Nephi 13: 40

40.  And the angel spake unto me, saying: These last records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall establish the truth of the first, which are of the twelve apostles of The Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that The Lamb of God is The Son of the Eternal Father, and The Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto Him, or they cannot be saved.

In the words of the Old Testament:

Ezekiel 37: 16-27
16.  Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
17.  And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

In the words of Geometry:

With one source of Heaven's truth represented here by a single point, an infinite number of lines (or interpretations) can pass through it.

With 2 or more sources of Heaven's truth, only one line (interpretation) can pass through both.

I'm grateful for the Bible.  I'm grateful for The Book of Mormon.  I'm grateful for both of these groovy books of scripture, and the testimonies of the Son of God they bear. 

Merry Christmas.  Peace be with you...

Sixtieth Impression

I received my 1^st copy of the Book of Mormon (BOM) just after my baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was 8 years old (1974, yikes!).  I read 6 verses before I put it down for another 7 years.  The 6^th verse of chapter 1 of 1^st Nephi talked about a Prophet named Lehi, and how a pillar of fire came down and dwelt on a rock in front of him.  To an 8-year old who had already seen the movie The Ten Commandments this provided a visual that stayed with me, and made me excited 7 years later to find out what happened. 

I read the BOM all the way through for the 1^st time at age 15 as part of an assignment for a religion class that ran concurrent with High School called Seminary, taught by Brother Swenson.  What was my 1^st impression?  I have no idea.  In that Seminary class, one of the goals that we were encouraged to achieve was called ACAD (A Chapter A Day), a goal that developed into one of my best habits. 

Some time in my late teens I started to read my chapter a day in the morning before school or work or whatever, and another chapter a day at night before going to bed.  If you read 2 chapters of the BOM every day, you will finish it twice in 9 months.  Allowing for skipped days, if there aren’t too many of them, a good soldier can get 3 aimed rounds off in 1 minute, er… you can read the BOM 3 times during a year.  I served a proselytizing mission for The Church from age 20 to 22, during which I read the BOM 8 times.  From that time until about 2 years or so ago I read the BOM 2 or 3 times a year.  I’m almost 45 now, so let’s see.  I’ve read the BOM about 60 times (give or take a few).  Now, before you accuse me of bragging, let me get something straight right now.  You better believe I’m bragging.  I’m very proud of that accomplishment. 

You needn’t suppose that I’ve neglected other important books of scripture completely.  I have read the New Testament a number of times, as well as the Doctrine & Covenats and The Pearl of Great Price.  I have tried to read the Old Testament all the way through, but haven’t done it yet.  I have read from it and taught from it quite a bit, though.  So much for bragging, huh?

To start off my BOM Blog, I’ll share some of my feelings about this wonderful book.  I love my Heavenly Father.  I love His Son Jesus Christ.  I enjoy a close relationship with them, God as my Father and Jesus as my Savior.  When I pray to Heavenly Father in the Name of Jesus Christ, I feel a tenderness there.  I really feel like I’m speaking with someone I know and love, and who knows and loves me too.  Heavenly Father knows the John Barney who is deep inside of me, like nobody else could know him.  He knows how I feel now, how I felt last year, how I'll feel next year, and how I felt when I was 6 years old.  Most of the time when I pray, I pray on my knees with my head bowed, eyes closed in humble reverence to His status as All Mighty God.  Other times, I speak casually to Him while walking or driving, as if he was a great and loving friend walking with me.  Jesus Christ is The Son of God.  I love Him dearly.  I worship Him and honor Him with all the might I have in me.  In 1st John 4: 19 it says, “We love Him because he first loved us.”  My first impression when I read this verse was that we love Christ and appreciate His sacrifice for us.  Deeper thought showed me that, though my first impression is true, some of what John was saying was that the power of Christ’s atonement, and its ability to heal us from all sin and infirmity, purifies our heart, and gives us the ability to love really Him.  You know, like a positive feedback system.  The more we love Christ and lean on His atonement, the more we come to understand the atonement and Christ’s true love for us, which enables us to love Him even more.  And the cycle continues.  What does all this have to do with the Book of Mormon?  Reading from the BOM, and the attending Spirit that always comes when I do, I have come to know and understand Jesus Christ in a way that would never have come any other way.  I love the Bible.  I love it when Paul says:   

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth , and length, and depth, and height;

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.

I can’t say how these verses would have struck me if I were someone else who had never heard of the BOM, but I can say that, because of the foundation of Jesus Christ on which I am built, the solidness of which comes from my experiences with the Book of Mormon, this passage of scripture from Paul strikes my heart and makes it sing its truth.  I love how Paul tries to express how much The Savior loves us, but then really can’t because it is just beyond words.  I know the feeling.

So, that’s it for today.  Peace be with you.