On at least two occasions, Nephi's older brothers asked him if the scriptures were talking about spiritual things or about temporal things. Here's how they asked the question after he read two chapters of Isaiah to them: What meaneth these things which ye have read? Behold, are they to be understood according to things which... 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 →
What Is the “Great and Abominable Church?”
Near the beginning of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Nephi sees many future events in a vision, including the formation of an organization which he calls a "great and abominable church" (1 Nephi 13:6). Nephi tells us several things about this organization: It murders, tortures, and imprisons good people (1 Nephi 13:5). It was... Continue Reading →
What Is Lust?
The Greek word epithumia (ἐπιθυμία) means strong desire, passion, or eagerness. The connotation is of a desire so strong that it overpowers reason and produces poor decisions. When this term appears in the New Testament, it is translated into English as either "lust," "desire," or "concupiscence." James identified lust as the reason that temptation leads... Continue Reading →
How Much Power Does the Devil Have?
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how to overcome temptation. A friend of mine asked me to consider the following question: How much power does the devil have over us? Does he have any power at all if we choose not to listen to him? It's a good question, and the Book of Mormon... Continue Reading →
What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the Millennium?
A millennium is a period of a thousand years. The Millennium is a thousand-year period of peace following the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The apostle John foresaw a time when Satan would be bound for a thousand years. Jesus Christ and His followers would govern the earth during that time (Revelation 20:1-7). Isaiah foresaw... Continue Reading →
What Is the Gathering of Israel?
When Lehi taught his family about the scattering of Israel, he reassured them that the Lord would gather them again: And after the house of Israel should be scattered they should be gathered together again; or, in fine, after the Gentiles had received the fulness of the Gospel, the natural branches of the olive tree,... Continue Reading →
Why Were the Children of Israel Scattered?
When the children of Israel arrived in the promised land, Moses told them that they would one day be scattered because of persistent disobedience. But he also told them that, when they humbled themselves and repented, God would remember His covenant with their ancestors (Leviticus 26). By the time Lehi and his family left Jerusalem,... Continue Reading →
What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Abraham?
Near the beginning of the Book of Mormon, Lehi's sons risk their lives in order to obtain a set of brass plates which contains, among other things, the five books of Moses. A central character in those books is the prophet Abraham. Even though he had lived nearly 2,000 years earlier, his influence is felt... Continue Reading →
