The angel who appeared to Amulek commanded him to return home. He told Amulek that he would meet a prophet of God along the way, whom he should invite into his home. The angel promised that this prophet "shall bless thee and thy house; and the blessing of the Lord shall rest upon thee and... Continue Reading →
A Priest Forever
Speaking of the Savior, King David said: The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.Psalm 110:4 Commenting on this passage, the apostle Paul wrote the following cryptic description of Melchizedek: Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.Hebrews... Continue Reading →
“Put on Thy Strength”
In the middle of a passage about the gathering of Israel, Isaiah pleads with the Lord to rescue His captive people: Awake, awake! Put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in the ancient days....Art thou not he who hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths... Continue Reading →
The Stem, the Rod, and the Root
After prophesying that Israel would be conquered, using a metaphor of a tree being chopped down or burned, Isaiah presents an image of rebirth: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. Isaiah 11:1, 2 Nephi 21:1 As he does frequently, Isaiah gives us two parallel phrases... Continue Reading →
“After the Order of His Son”
Alma taught that God ordains priests to operate "after the order of his Son, in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption" (Alma 13:1-2, 7). In other words, when we exercise the authority of the priesthood, we turn people toward the Savior. The... Continue Reading →
The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood
In a revelation about priesthood which Joseph Smith received in 1832, there is a passage that is commonly known as the oath and covenant of the priesthood. Here is the first part of that passage: Whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.They... Continue Reading →
Gifts and Callings – Moroni 3:4
Near the end of the Book of Mormon, Moroni describes how priesthood authority was given. After explaining the process, he adds two significant points: It was done "according to the gifts and callings of God unto men."It was done "by the power of the Holy Ghost" (Moroni 3:4). When Joseph Smith was instructed to establish... Continue Reading →
“With Power and with Great Authority” – 3 Nephi 7:17
Thirty-one years after the birth of the Savior, while Jesus was ministering to the people in the land of Israel, a prophet named Nephi was preaching the gospel on the American continent. He "began to testify, boldly, repentance and remission of sins through faith on the Lord Jesus Christ" (3 Nephi 7:16). Mormon tells us... Continue Reading →
What Does the Book of Mormon Clarify?
This is the fifth of six posts answering a set of questions recommended by President Russell M. Nelson. So far, I have written about what the Book of Mormon is, what it affirms, what it refutes, and what it fulfills. Today, I will write about what it clarifies. As I wrote yesterday, the Book of... Continue Reading →
Why Did Ammon Consider Himself Unworthy to Baptize?
One of my daughters asked me last week if Ammon had authority to baptize. Ammon was the leader of a search party sent by King Mosiah to find a group of people who had established a colony among their enemies many years earlier. When he found them, they were in bondage, forced to pay a... Continue Reading →
Book of Mormon Study Notes 