References to the resurrection appear only a couple of times in the Old Testament: Job testifies to his friends, "Though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God" (Job 19:26). Ezekiel describes a vision in which dry bones (representing the house of Israel) are miraculously covered with sinews,... Continue Reading →
What Is the Relationship Between Obedience and Agency?
Agency - the capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power (Merriam-Webster, 2nd definition). Obedience - Compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority (Oxford English Dictionary) The terms "agency" and "agent" do not appear in the Book of Mormon, but the principle is pervasive: We are agents. God... Continue Reading →
What’s Wrong with Seeking Signs?
The prophet Zenos foretold a sign which would coincide with the Savior's death hundreds of years later. Some members of the house of Israel, who would be living on "the isles of the sea," would experience three days of darkness (1 Nephi 19:10). Just five years before the Savior's birth, a prophet on the American... Continue Reading →
What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the Resurrection?
Today, I reviewed all 35 passages in the Book of Mormon which use the word "resurrection." Here are some of the principles I saw: Because of the fall of Adam and Eve, we will all die (2 Nephi 9:6). There is no way for us to overcome the consequences of this without divine intervention (2... Continue Reading →
What Is the Significance of the Names and Titles of Jesus in the Book of Mormon?
Other names and titles: The Messiah, the God of Nature, the Son of God, God Himself, Jesus Christ, and other names
Ye Are Angry with Me – Helaman 14:10
10 And now, because I am a Lamanite, and have spoken unto you the words which the Lord hath commanded me, and because it was hard against you, ye are angry with me and do seek to destroy me, and have cast me out from among you. (Helaman 14:10) In the prior chapter, Samuel the... Continue Reading →
This Shall Be unto You for a Sign – Helaman 14:3-5
3 And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day. 4 Therefore, there... Continue Reading →
Into the Presence of the Lord – Helaman 14:15-18
15 For behold, he surely must die that salvation may come; yea, it behooveth him and becometh expedient that he dieth, to bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the presence of the Lord.16 Yea, behold, this death bringeth to pass the resurrection, and redeemeth all mankind... Continue Reading →
Whosoever Shall Believe – Helaman 14:8
8 And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall believe on the Son of God, the same shall have everlasting life.(Helaman 14:8)As Samuel the Lamanite prophesies of the birth of the Savior, he teaches a principle which prophets had taught for centuries and which is at the heart of the gospel: if you have... Continue Reading →