Another Testament of Jesus Christ |
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Another Testament of Jesus Christ |
Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ (“‘All Hell Is Moved,’” p. 178.)
Introduction
The Testimony of Three Witnesses
Be it known unto all nations,
kindred, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come; That we,
through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen
the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of
Nephi, and also of the Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people
of Jared, who came from the tower of which hath been spoken. And we also
know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his
voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the
work is true. And we testify that we have seen the engravings which are
upon the plates; and they have been shown unto us by the
power of God, and not of man.
And we declare with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down
from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and
saw the plates and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is
by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld
an bear record that these things are true. And it is marvelous in our eyes.
Nevertheless, the voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record
of it; wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, we bear
testimony of these things. And we know that if we are faithful in Christ,
we shall rid our garments of the blood of all men, and
be found spotless before the
judgment-seat of Christ, and shall dwell with him eternally in the heavens.
And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost,
which is one God. Amen.
The Testimony of Eight Witnesses
"Be it known unto all nations,
kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come: That Joseph
Smith, Jun., the translator of this work, has shown unto us the plates
of which hath been spoken, which have the appearance of gold; and as many
of the leaves as the said Smith has translated we did handle with our hands;
and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance
of ancient work, and of curious workmanship. And this we bear record with
words of soberness, that the said Smith has shown unto us, for we have
seen and hefted, and know of a surety that the said Smith has got the plates
of which we have spoken. And we give our names unto the world, to witness
unto the world, that which we have seen. And we lie not, God bearing witness
of it."
Christian Whitmer
Jacob Whitmer
Peter Whitmer, Jun.
John Whitmer
Hiram Page
Joseph Smith, Sen.
Hyrum Smith
Samuel H. Smith
We now became anxious to have
that promise realized to us, which the angel that conferred upon us the
Aaronic Priesthood had given us, viz., that provided we continued faithful,
we should also have the Melchizedek
Priesthood, which holds the authority
of the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
(The Prophet declared that the
Melchizedek Priesthood was thereafter received under the hands of Peter,
James and John, at a place along the banks of the Susquehanna River, between
Harmony, Susquehanna County,
Pennsylvania, and Colesville,
Broome County, New York.)
I joined the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1963. I was 16 years old.
Since early in my childhood I felt a deep desire to "draw near unto Christ".
I was often deeply moved by what I determined to be religious experiences.
When I first heard of the "Mormons" I was intrigued. I wanted to
know more. I was introduced to two well dressed young men not much
older than me. They sat before me in a humble attitude and opened
our little meeting with prayer. Even at that moment I was moved to
tears - there was something different about what was
happening this
time. I was taught about Joseph Smith and how God had used him to
usher in the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was introduced
to the Book of Mormon. I began to eagerly read the book. Soon
I followed the admonition asked of all who earnestly seek to know the truth,
the admonition of Moroni:
Moroni 10: Verse
4
And when
ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God,
the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true;
and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith
in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the
Holy Ghost.
Moroni 10: Verse
5
And by the
power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
I did as Moroni
(pronounced Mow - row' - neye) had admonished and began to receive a personal
testimony that grew as time went by and continues to grow today that this
is the work of God. I know as I live and breath that the Book of
Mormon is true. I know that the Book of Mormon works hand in hand
with the King James version of the Holy Bible as "another witness of Jesus
Christ". I leave you this humble testimony in the name
of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Please visit my main page, Have
You Ever Wondered? Questions
such as: Where did I come from?, What am I doing here on earth?,
Where do I go when I die?, Why are there so many churches - can they all
be right?, and many more are ansered by modern day apostles and prophets,
as well as other esteemed members of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints. Have You Ever Wondered?
"Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805-1844), often referred to as the Prophet Joseph Smith, was the founding prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." Encyclopedia of Mormonism" |
Visions
of Joseph Smith
"The Prophet Joseph Smith had his first vision at the age of fourteen
while praying in a grove
of trees in western New York (see First Vision). The appearance
of the Lord to him, like
that to Saul of Tarsus, was attended by a shining light from heaven
(Acts 9:3). The Lord
spoke face-to-face with Joseph and called him to service. This was
the first of a series of
visions Joseph Smith received, many of which were shared with other
persons."
Encyclopedia of Mormonism.
Teachings
of Joseph Smith
"The written and spoken words of the revelations to Joseph Smith
are clear, direct, and
unequivocal, yet his teachings are difficult to characterize or
summarize, since they do not fit
easily into traditional theological categories, and they always
presuppose that more can, and
probably will, be revealed by God." Encyclopedia of Mormonism.
Writings
of Joseph Smith
"The Prophet Joseph Smith's writing career began at age twenty-two
when he commenced
translation of the Book
of Mormon. At his death seventeen years later, in 1844,
he had left
a substantial archive for the study of his life and the church
he was instrumental in founding."
Encyclopedia of Mormonism.
The
Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of the Bible
"Joseph Smith, the first prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, made a
"new translation" of the Bible, using the text of the King
James Version (KJV). This work
differs from the KJV in at least 3,410 verses and consists of additions,
deletions,
rearrangements, and other alterations that cause it to vary not
only from the KJV but from
other biblical texts." Encyclopedia of Mormonism.
Carthage
Jail
"The old jail in the town of Carthage, Illinois, seat of Hancock
County, was the site of the
martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith on June 27, 1844, by a mob of
approximately 150
men. Today it is a historical site of the Church and serves as a
memorial to prophets of God
who suffered
martyrs' death." Encyclopedia of Mormonism.
Martyrdom
of Hyrum and Joseph Smith
"The violent deaths of the Prophet Joseph Smith at the age of thirty-eight
and his brother
Hyrum Smith (age forty-four), Associate President and patriarch
of the Church, dramatically
ended the founding period of the LDS Church. On June 27, 1844, they
were mobbed and
shot while confined at Carthage
Jail in Hancock County, in western Illinois. Climaxing
more
than two decades of persecution across several states, this event
gave them an enduring
place as martyrs in the hearts of Latter-day Saints." Encyclopedia
of Mormonism.
Source: All About Mormons
(From the Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol.7)
The Plates
It is hard for us to realize
today that for many years the idea of writing a sacred record on gold plates
was considered just too funny for words and that the mere mention of the
"Golden Bible" was enough to shock and scandalize the world. Today at least
a hundred examples of ancient writing on metal plates are available, the
latest discoveries being three gold plaques found in 1964 near an ancient
shrine on the coast of Italy; they are covered with Punic and Etruscan
writing and date from about 500 b.c. Punic, it will be recalled, is Phoenician,
a language and script that flourished in Lehi's day a few miles from Jerusalem.
It was also in 1964 that the writings on a thin gold plate from Sicily
was identified as Hebrew; though the plate has been known since 1876, Hebrew
was the last thing anybody expected.
The golden plates of Darius,
discovered in 1938, which in their form and the manner of their preservation
so strikingly resemble the plates described by Joseph Smith, were augmented
by new findings in the 1950s; the contents of the latter plates, a pious
mixture of religious declamation and history, are as suggestive of the
Book of Mormon as their outward ppearance is of the plates. We have already
spoken of the Copper Scrolls, riveted metal sheets, and noted how the purpose
and spirit as well as the method of their production and concealment matches
the record-keeping practices of the Nephites in every particular. Especially
interesting is the provision that treasures "must be hidden away," that
such treasures "would never be desecrated by profane use, "since" to use
such goods for
nonreligious purposes
was a heinous sin," and it was "dangerous for any but priests to handle."
For this is a lesson that Samuel the Lamanite drives home: "For I will,
saith the Lord, that they shall hide up their treasures unto me; and cursed
be they who hide not up their treasures unto me; for none hideth up their
treasures unto me save it be the righteous; and he that hideth not up his
treasures unto me, cursed is he, and also the treasure, and none shall
redeem it because of the curse of the land . . . [I] will hide up their
treasures when they shall flee before their enemies; because they will
not hide them up unto me,
cursed be they and also
their treasure" (Helaman 13:19-20).
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