7:2-3
What matters in eternity? Is our membership in this church what truly matters? Well…of course it is a blessing to be a member of this church. We have many advantages including the priesthood, additional scripture, a living prophet and temples. However, added blessings does not mean salvation.
Mormon summed this up in two sentences. “Know ye that ye are of the house of Israel. Know ye that ye must come unto repentance, or ye cannot be saved.” It is a statement of identification and then a statement about what is requires to be saved. Our membership in the church isn’t the qualifier. Repentance is.
The church is designed to bring people to Christ. The church is designed to help people offer a broken heart and a contrite spirit to God. I am grateful for the church. But it is between me and my God whether I have sufficiently sacrificed my own will for God’s.
7:8
“Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles unto you.” What are we meant to lay hold upon?
To “lay hold” on something signifies an active and intentional commitment. It often means to fully embrace a principle, promise, or opportunity with faith. Later in this chapter, in verse 19, we are invited to “lay hold upon every good thing,” it calls us to seek, cherish, and commit to everything that is virtuous and in harmony with God’s will. It reflects an effort to make these things a part of our lives and character. We move beyond passive belief into a life actively rooted in righteous action and faith.
Similarly, “laying hold” on the word of God or on eternal life signifies more than a casual acceptance; it is a whole-hearted grasping of the path and promises that God offers. It involves faith and obedience and submissiveness. It indicates our willingness to let God’s word shape our lives.
In Lehi’s dream, the people who successfully reach the tree are those who are “holding fast” to the rod of iron - which is the word of God. To lay hold and then hold fast to the scriptures is more important today than ever. As we study the scriptures DAILY, we will:
Grow closer to God and Jesus.
Feel the Spirit and recognize times when we are being inspired or taught directly by the Spirit.
Gain the actual wisdom contained in the scriptures.
The key principles and specific verses will come to mind when teaching someone about the gospel.
Our perspective about life and our purpose here will be clear. This perspective will allow us to act instead of simply be acted upon by the various afflictions of this world.
These are some big benefits that anyone should want. What’s the price to receive these blessings? Simply study the scriptures and then follow what you learn. Right now, I am late to what I was supposed to be doing today. I should be on the road to visit my studios on the first day of our FotoFly Santa sessions. Does it matter if I’m 45 minutes later in doing that? Not really. The positives of me taking this time to study the scriptures and write down what I learn and ponder far outweigh the negatives!
8:17-22; 9:31
What Mormon compiled, edited and wrote is precious. It is truly a marvelous work and a wonder. The combined wisdom and lessons learned over the course of 1000 years is hard to fully comprehend. Who can argue with the value of what Mormon did? Turns out, many, many people attempt to argue with this book.
The fact that we can read this scripture is a miracle. Does that mean it’s perfect? Nope. At the end of the day, it was still written by imperfect men. Mormon understood this. “And if there be faults they be the faults of a man.” The prophets of the Book of Mormon were imperfect. Joseph Smith was imperfect. The prophets after Joseph Smith were imperfect - every single one.
Mormon continues this in chapter 9, verse 31. “Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.” Rather than focus on the perfections, we should be grateful to be aware of any so that we can learn from them from both their teachings and their mistakes. This can be said about every modern day prophet. Rather than criticize and focus on weaknesses and expand that to mean that the church isn’t true - we should be understanding and forgiving and empathetic to those who were striving to be worthy of their calling.
However, God has guided the process enough that there isn’t anything that would lead the church astray. “…nevertheless God knoweth all things.” The challenge is that some enemies of the church will look at the flaws and attempt to use those to disprove the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the divinity of God’s work. “…he that condemneth, let him be aware lest he shall be in danger of hell fire.”
There are those who want to see undeniable proof of the Book of Mormon. They want to see the buried swords and bones and horses. “And he that saith: Show unto me, or ye shall be smitten—let him beware lest he commandeth that which is forbidden of the Lord.” Those who seek for a sign are not a righteous people.
So many who have left the church seem to become archeologists. Or, they quickly believe others who quickly become experts in archeology, linguistics, genetics, and critics. I’ve heard about people who have read that horses weren’t in the Americas and the Book of Mormon talks about horses so the book must be fake. They say that it would the same as if the Book of Mormon wrote about cell phones. No. Not really. It’s possible that horses were brought here or existed here and we just don’t know about it. Cell phones, we know, didn’t exist on the planet.
Anyway, there are rabbit holes inside of rabbit holes here. The point is that people can tear apart any writing or theory or religion. The problem is the lack of faith and relying on our puny brains. We worship our own logic and intelligence. We think we are in a position to judge the validity of an ancient writing. “For behold, the same that judgeth rashly shall be judged rashly again; for according to his works shall his wages be; therefore, he that smiteth shall be smitten again, of the Lord.” There will be consequences for those who judge rashly.
The problem is that these unbelievers actively fight against the building up of Zion. “And he that shall breathe out wrath and strifes against the work of the Lord, and against the covenant people of the Lord who are the house of Israel, and shall say: We will destroy the work of the Lord, and the Lord will not remember his covenant which he hath made unto the house of Israel—the same is in danger to be hewn down and cast into the fire.” Those who think that they can fight against the work of God will eventually fail. What’s worse is that their reliance on their own wisdom and questioning God’s work will continue into the next life. There will be plenty of critics in the spirit world I assure you.
The good news is that no enemy of the church will prevail. “For the eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled.”
8:24, 26
There are many scriptures that give me comfort. These few verses are some of them. “And he knoweth their prayers, that they were in behalf of their brethren. And he knoweth their faith, for in his name could they remove mountains; and in his name could they cause the earth to shake; and by the power of his word did they cause prisons to tumble to the earth; yea, even the fiery furnace could not harm them, neither wild beasts nor poisonous serpents, because of the power of his word.” I pray, everyday, that my children will return to the church. I must say that it will be a miracle.
I know that he has heard my prayers. I have faith. He knows my faith. I draw comfort from knowing this. I know that God can soften their hearts. I know this will happen some day. It may not be until the spirit world - but it will happen. I believe in miracles. They will come.
“And no one need say they shall not come, for they surely shall, for the Lord hath spoken it; for out of the earth shall they come, by the hand of the Lord, and none can stay it; and it shall come in a day when it shall be said that miracles are done away; and it shall come even as if one should speak from the dead.” My miracle will come.
8:31
“Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth; there shall be murders, and robbing, and lying, and deceivings, and whoredoms, and all manner of abominations; when there shall be many who will say, Do this, or do that, and it mattereth not, for the Lord will uphold such at the last day. But wo unto such, for they are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity.”
In this verse, the pollutions aren’t what we consider pollutions. I see it as the truth is being polluted. I see it as right and wrong becoming polluted. The principle of marriage is being polluted. The principle of eternal gender is being polluted.
One of the real pollutions will be what is right and wrong. It’s beyond simply twisting right and wrong. It’s getting to the point where right and wrong doesn’t even matter. Mormon saw this clearly. Again, “…there shall be many who will say, Do this, or do that, and it mattereth not.” What we do matters.
Mormon criticizes the polluters In verse 38. “O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world?” Correct principles become polluted because of the temptations of and praise from the world.
8:37, 39
Worldliness leads to wickedness. We cannot be in love with what the world has to offer. “For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.” The things of this world can be bought with money. But, everything that is eternally important can be bought without money. In the D&C, we read, “The worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” The worth of apparel is literally NOTHING in comparison to the worth of souls.
This is how God sees it and it’s how we should see it too. Unfortunately, many do. Mormon could see this and had so ask: “Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?” The things of this world which have no life are not worth anything. This is an eternal perspective that we should all be striving for.
I have to admit that I have walked by a homeless person when I’m wearing some super awesome clothing and haven’t given him much thought.
9:2
We’ve just had an election. Donald Trump is now the most powerful man in the world. Right? The Democrats and Republicans have been campaigning hard for control of the government. Kamala has spent over a billion dollars in a futile attempt for power. Certainly, the balance of power has shifted in this country.
Our institutions, whether it’s the government or corporations or religions are all struggling for power. However, compared with the power of Christ, all of these seemingly important things will be rendered practically meaningless. “Behold, will ye believe in the day of your visitation—behold, when the Lord shall come, yea, even that great day when the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, yea, in that great day when ye shall be brought to stand before the Lamb of God—then will ye say that there is no God?”
With all of the power struggles going on, we should remember that all of it could go away in ten minutes. This country could literally be shook by an earthquake that would shut all of our systems down. In a moment, our roads could be broken up and our power grid destroyed. All of the things that appear to be in control aren’t in control at all. The pomp and circumstance of our government could suddenly change into a rousing rendition of panic and stampede. The powerful will become pitiful.
We will remember all of this worldly struggle as a “tempest in a teapot.” One day, real power will be seen. All of our perspectives about what is really important will change. I’m looking forward to that day.
9:3-5
If we are wicked, will we want to dwell with God and Jesus? No, we won’t. Mormon is pretty clear about this. First, he asks us two questions:
“Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt?
“Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws?”
If we ask ourselves these questions, I think anyone will realize that they wouldn’t be happy and comfortable if they are breaking the laws of God. Being uncomfortable around someone doesn’t sound like heaven. Every one of us will go to dwell in the heaven where we belong and can comfortably abide. Dallin Oaks said, “Those who do not choose “to abide the law of a celestial kingdom” will inherit another kingdom of glory, lesser than the celestial but suited to the laws they have chosen and can comfortably “abide.” That word abide, so common in the scriptures, means a secure placement.”
Mormon continues, “Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell.”
Speaking of hell. It’s often described as a place of fire and brimstone. People interpret this to mean that it is literally fire - that some of us will be burning forever. Instead, it is a fire of regret and remorse. “For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you.” In fact, it could be viewed as an act of mercy that God allows us to dwell with similarly valiant souls so we can be, to some degree, more comfortable. As President Oaks said, we will go where we can “comfortably abide.”
9:7-10, 20
“And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues; Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them. For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing? And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles.” I have to admit that miracles seem more believable as I read them in the scriptures.
So, in a way, I am part of the group that believes that miracles don’t happen like they did in scripture. I remember, on my mission, my companion gave a blessing to a man who was about to be taken off of life support. In the blessing, he pronounced that the man would be healed and rise from his bed. At that moment, I was filled with frustration because I knew that miracle wasn’t going to happen. I felt embarrassed as we finished the prayer and the woman who had invited us was incensed. Most of her family was there and they were not members of the church. I remember reprimanding my companion for saying what he had. I told him that he wasn’t listening to the Spirit.
Looking back, I think I was ultimately right. However, my faith should have been greater. I suppose my faith in that Elder wasn’t great. But, I have to admit that if a stake president had said the same words, I would have still doubted. It was clear to me that the man was beyond saving.
But was he? Could God have healed him instantly? Of course he could! No illness or injury is beyond God’s ability to heal. My patriarchal blessing says that I will experience many miraculous healings in my life. I must cultivate my faith in miracles and expect them. President Nelson said, “In coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior’s power that the world has ever seen.” We, I, should believe that.
If miracles are less these days than in days past, it is not because of any changes in how God operates. The problem is us. “And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.”
9:14
“And then cometh the judgment of the Holy One upon them; and then cometh the time that he that is filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still; he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still.” The judgment will not be a character changing event. Neither is dying. Neither is entering the spirit world.
Our character is shaped over the course of many, many small decisions. Using our agency to make these millions of small decisions is how character is formed. Character is never changed through a single, grand event. Course corrections can happen - as with what happened Alma and the sons of Mosiah or with Saul. But, their character didn’t change in a moment. They received a course correction but their character was still in effect. Saul’s character didn’t change when he saw an angel. His diligence and exactness was just focused in another direction as he became Paul.
So, if we are filthy, dying and going to the spirit world will not change it. We will be filthy still.
9:26-28
Mormon asks some more questions:
“And now, behold, who can stand against the works of the Lord?
“Who can deny his sayings?”
“Who will rise up against the almighty power of the Lord?”
“Who will despise the works of the Lord?”
“Who will despise the children of Christ?”
These are part of Mormon’s farewell address to us. I think it’s hard for him to understand why anyone would “rise up against the almighty power of the Lord.” It doesn’t make sense to him with his eternal perspective. It sounds ridiculous to him that anyone would ever deny what the Lord has said and despise what Christ has done. Who would ever be against Christ and those who follow him?
He makes a pronouncement. “Behold, all ye who are despisers of the works of the Lord, for ye shall wonder and perish.” When all is revealed, the wicked will WONDER:
Literally what is going on.
Why they made such bad decisions.
About how they could have been so wrong.
I think “wonder” is a great word for what will happen among those who were deceived by the philosophies of men and enticings of this very temporary world.
Mormon pleads with us with a list of what we should do:
“O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord.”
“Ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need.
“Doubt not, but be believing.”
“Begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart.”
“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.”
“Be wise in the days of your probation.”
“Strip yourselves of all uncleanness.”
“Ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God.”
We should read this as perfect advice from a man who has studied (more than any other man) what was written by prophets on this continent. He has read about the destruction of his people over and over again. Combine this with his visions about us an our day, he becomes someone we should listen to. He is uniquely qualified to warn us and counsel us. WE SHOULD LISTEN TO THIS MAN.
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