The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

by Joseph Smith Jr.

to be

LV = is

ye shall keep my commandments, ye

It seems evident that anytime a commandment or doctrine is given that applies to everyone, even though it is 2nd person, the pronoun is plural. Here the Lord is speaking to Nephi, but uses the plural form "ye" It could sound like this in modern English. Blessed art thou Nephi, because of thy faith... And inasmuch as all of you or anyone shall keep my commandments, all of you or anyone shall prosper.

And inasmuch as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher over thy brethren.

Here it is clear that it is only Nephi he is speaking to. He is to be a teacher and ruler. The Lord does not use the plural because it only applies to Nephi. So "thou" is the proper pronoun.

thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise..

Evidence, that in the first instance that this phrase was used, the plural pronoun Ye was used. It was intended to be plural. Here it is very specific that the Lord did speak regarding his posterity and not just to Nephi.

Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates, for a wise purpose in him; which purpose, I know not.

Yet I know now more than ever before.

my father had made an end of speaking the words of his dream,

Joseph Smith Sr. Had the same dream before this book was translated.

this Redeemer of the world. Wherefore, all mankind was in a lost and in a fallen state; and ever would be, save they should rely on this Redeemer.

There is no other way in this life or the next. It will and must be through Jesus Christ.

he that diligently seeketh, shall find; and the mysteries of God

Diligently is the key word

nevertheless, I knew that it was the spirit of the Lord; and he spake unto me as a man speaketh with another.

I believe this is Jesus Chist as the messenger in this visitation and not the Holy Ghost.

an angel came down and stood before me;

Change in visitation from The Spirit of The Lord to an angle.

yea, whoso shall publish peace, that shall publish tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.

Facebook is one of many possible places.

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, which were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.

Our collective light does not yet shine brightly enough... Elder Niel A. Maxwell Apr 1987

meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree? And I said unto them, that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the firy darts of the adversary, overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.

This passage captured my attention when I was 18. It changed my life and behavior more than anything

and remember to keep his commandments always, in all things..

For me it was simply reading this book daily wiithout miss to better ensure the promise.

and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things, that he beheld not the filthiness of the water;

Filling one's day with good wholesome thoughts and activities better ensures safety from the filth.

brightness thereof was like unto the brightness of

A contrast by many orders of magnitude. How great and ominous is God's light.

he prepared a way, that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform, was to look! and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many which perished. And they did harden their hearts from time to time, and they did revile against Moses,

What can be more hard to change than a heart that needs soften. God cannot and will not force it.

and also for other wise purposes, which purposes, are known unto the Lord; wherefore, I, Nephi, did make a record upon the other plates,

...to be read on smart phone apps, Kindle etc in these latter days...

to believe in the Lord their Redeemer, wherefore I did read unto them that which was written by the Prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.

Isaiah is poetic!

I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

Purpose and value for affliction.

if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just, shall rest upon them; yea, he will bring other nations unto them, and he will give unto them power, and he will take away from them the, lands of their possessions; and he will cause them to be scattered and smitten.

A very stark warning for all of us who know this is true!

awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and wo! Awake!

Tempting to slumber on when in a deep sleep as I have been this past year. Reading BofM..the alarm!

For behold, Isaiah spake many things which were hard for many of my people to understand:

Ditto for most all of us. I think.

for we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all that we can do.

"We" Isaiah, Lehi and Nephi all prophets`s purpose here.

we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

Their puprpose in writing this book is so very clear.

I have spoken plain unto you, that ye cannot misunderstand. And the words which I have spoken, shall stand as a testimony against you: for they are sufficient to teach any man the right way; for the right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not; for by denying him, ye also deny the Prophets and the law.

Warning.... reader discretion strongly advised. ;-)

worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul;

What does this look like? It is easy to say what it is not... a good part of my day.

a commandment, that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity, they were nothing: wherefore, if they should have charity, they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.

Because of pride,

Always!

wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell.

Tripple "Wo" indicates the highest level of trouble; in this case written for the "proud of heart"

others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say, All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well; and thus the Devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.

One of his easiest`s traps for the careless saint in me.

Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion.

:/

wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

Is your study a daily Thanksgiving feast or a bowl of cheerios?

there is none other way nor name given under heaven, whereby man can be saved in the Kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen.

The pure doctrine!

Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ: for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

Feasting and the promise:

if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will shew unto you all things what ye should do.

Shew and Tell. The Holy Ghost shews what we should do. The words of Christ "tell" us.

they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be.

What is the solution?

that ye must pray always,

Firtst:

it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth men to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal. And it speaketh harsh against sin, according to the plainness of the truth; wherefore, no man will be angry at the words which I have written, save he shall be of the spirit of the Devil.

hearken unto these words, and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words, believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ, ye will believe in these words: for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good. And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye: for Christ will shew unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness: and I pray the Father in the name of Christ, that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom, at the great and last day.

judge ye: for Christ will shew unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words,

These are the words of Jesus Christ!

I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last day: for what I seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen

Wherefore, we laboured diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest,

let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls.

Pride is the easiest way to destroy your soul.

Think of your brethren, like unto yourselves,

The antidote to pride....

many hearts died, pierced with deep wounds.

"The poet prophet Jacob"

Wherefore, we search the Prophets; and we have many revelations, and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses, we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus, and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea;

Search the Prophets....

seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know, that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works, wherefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled unto him, through the atonement of Christ,

I love Jacob 4. One of the best chapters in the Book. (1830 vs. is Jacob ch III )

for why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him, as to attain to the knowledge of a resurrection and the world to come?

Good question. For sure! "Why not?"

speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be;

Elder Neil A. Maxwell the late Apostle often quoted this phrase. It is profound.