The Sower and His Seed

Sermon Topic, Sunday 5/12/13 Elder Dennis Trudgen
Dennis started with a warm Happy Mothers’ Day!! to all the Moms in the congregation, and showed some lovely images of motherhood and what it means to him.
Luke 14:26 … If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (Strong’s G3404, miseo, “to detest” or by extension “to love less”)
Matthew 13:18-23 … the sower and the seed … the disciples asked Jesus what this story really means, and Jesus answered.
The first group (the seed that fell by the wayside) … those who hear and do not understand. The seed does not take root and is immediately stolen away by the enemy.
The second group (the seed that fell on stony ground) … those who hear and receive the Word with joy, but it does not get deeply rooted in them. It sprouts and grows, but these are easily offended by tribulation or persecution, and their faith withers and dies. Those who are easily offended … what are we supposed to do? TALK it out … not walk away, or go to the “rumor mill”. As an illustration from the garden, consider the difference between a plant with shallow roots, and a plant with a deep tap root … it’s a lot harder to get rid of a burdock or clover than most crop plants , right?
The third group (the seed that fell among weeds) … those who hear the Word, but the cares of the world and their love of riches chokes it out.
Note, that all three of these groups were LOST.
The fourth group (the seed that fell on good ground) … those who hear the Word, receive it with joy, and nurture it so it grows and develops, and bears fruit abundantly.
Alma 16:151-153 … what does it mean to “not have root in oneself”? … Desire is the first step toward Christianity. Not casting out the seed, but giving it place in us; so it begins to swell and sprout. 163-182 … Is your knowledge then perfect? no……. this is exercising your faith. We must NURTURE that seed. If we neglect it … it will not have root. It will be easily scorched, and easily plucked up and cast away.
What’s in our lives? If it’s not right, it needs to be PUT OUT of our lives. That fruit will grow in us IF we nurture it, and then it will FEED our souls (verse 173)
The Zoramites had cast the poor class out of the synagogues. The haughty rich, who glorified themselves from the Rameumptom, rejected the Gospel. The poor class were humbled, and ready to receive it. The Zoramites had made the error of thinking that God only heard them once a week on that platform … God hears us, and we can worship Him, everywhere and at all times. Verse 130-131 … if you think you can only worship one day of the week, you are wrong.
2 Nephi 13:23-14:7 THE WAY of salvation … how to nurture that seed (see also Matthew 7:14, the narrow way; and John 14:6, I AM the Way)
Is all done? no…… we still sin, still deviate. We still have our free will. We are not saved by righteousness but by grace. He favors some (not all are saved, He does not save everyone IN their sins) … we must continue in faith, steadfast in hope and charity … that’s how the seed grows. Feasting on the words of Christ, enduring in the Word … not just one hour, one day of the week – that’s not feasting on His Word, that’s not nurturing the seed.
After entering in by the Way … after we have been given gifts at the beginning, we are given other gifts as we need them, as we fast and pray. These gifts are given to individuals and to the church. If we are given a gift and don’t exercise it, the church suffers. 14:4 … how do we feast upon the Word if we don’t study and attend church?
If you WILL enter in, the Holy Spirit will tell you and show you what He wants you to know … He will NEVER force you. (the enemy will also whisper to you)
2 Timothy 2:15 … Paul counsels Timothy not to let others intimidate him because of his young age, but to STUDY to show himself approved. We are responsible to read, study, and rightly divide the Word. We may be the only chance some people have to hear and see the Word.
Jacob 5:1, 3, 38 … Sherem came FLATTERING, to OVERTHROW the doctrine of Christ … after his downfall and death, peace and the love of God were RESTORED
(Sherem’s attitude still exists, and his course of action is still happening … this exerpt is from Ken Ham’s blog on Answers in Genesis, talking about Madalyn Murray O’Hair’s son Bill Murray … in his book “My Life Without God”, he recounts an experience with his mother’s atheist group:
I wrote to them asking for support of positive rather than negative atheism. I suggested we use funds to establish atheist chairs at universities rather than to sue to have religious chairs removed. I recommended the construction of monuments and hospital wings.
A handful of people sent contributions out of habit. But the overwhelming majority of those who answered my letter pelted me with such abuse that I was stunned. Over and over I read that the principal goal of atheism was the destruction of religion and that this was no time to build. [Bill Murray is now a Christian] msl)
Alma 12:4 … the sons of Mosiah, and Alma Jr., were men of sound understanding. They taught with power and authority … another gift. They searched the Scriptures diligently, prayed, fasted … nurturing the seed.
Luke 14:16-35 … the statement we started with. A man had prepared a great banquet and invited a lot of guests … but the guests declined, for various reasons. They all had good excuses, right? …..right? verse 25, the statement, and Jesus’ explanation. If we start the course, we must count the cost and be ready to endure, or we will be like the seeds that fell on stony ground. We must FORSAKE the things in our lives that keep us from keeping our commitment that we made at our baptism. The salt in verse 34 … those who made the commitment but didn’t finish.
Feasting … what does it mean? as above … What’s our excuse for not feasting? Don’t have internet? What else are you spending on? Job works you late on Saturday, or on Sunday? Think Sunday School is just for the kiddies? Tuesday night—what else is on?
Revelation 7:16-17 … feast on the WORD. (Psalm 34:8 … O taste and see that the Lord is GOOD msl)

Did Jesus preach to those in Hell after His death?

Tuesday Night Skype Scripture Study, May 7 2013

Elder Dennis Trudgen
Question: Why do ***** believe that Jesus went to Hell for 3 days after his death?
Actually, a majority of professed Christians hold this belief and recite the Apostles Creed which includes the line, "he descended into hell." According to internet sources, this line was added after 600 AD.
Ephesians 4 : 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
I Peter 3 : 18-4:6 18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: (continued below)
Clarke's Commentary on the Bible
By which - Spirit, his own Divine energy and authority.
He went and preached - By the ministry of Noah, one hundred and twenty years.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
He went - To wit, in the days of Noah.
And preached: though the language is consistent with the supposition that he did it by the instrumentality of another, to wit, Noah
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison: he was in the days of Noah; and that Christ also, under the Old Testament, acted the part of a Mediator, in his divine nature, and by his Spirit discharged that branch of it, his prophetic office, before he appeared in human nature; and that the Gospel was preached in those early times, as unto Abraham, so before him.
Wesley's Notes
3:19 By which Spirit he preached - Through the ministry of Noah
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
As to the old world, Christ sent his Spirit; gave warning by Noah. But though the patience of God waits long, it will cease at last. And the spirits of disobedient sinners, as soon as they are out of their bodies, are committed to the prison of hell, where those that despised Noah's warning now are, and from whence there is no redemption
I Peter 3 : 18-4:6 (continued) Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. 1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: 4 Wherein they think it
strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: 5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. 6 For for this cause was the
gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
Christ Preaching the Gospel Through His H.G. is a Common Theme of Peter
I Peter 1 : 9-12 9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
II Peter 1 : 21, 2:4-9 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost…. 4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
New International Version (©2011)
After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—
Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and Anglican Bibles teach Purgatory
Tobit 12:9 states that “alms doth deliver from death, and shall purge away all sin.”
Whoso honoureth his father maketh an atonement for his sins ….Water will quench a flaming fire; and alms maketh an atonement for sin”. Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 3:3, 30
2 Maccabees 12:43–45 He also took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. 44 For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. 45 But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for
those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin.
Luke 12 : 57- 59 57 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? 58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. 59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.
Scriptures Teach that This Life is the Only Time for our Work to be Performed
Zion’s Hymnal p. 155
Work, for the night is coming,
Work through the morning hours;
Work while the dew is sparkling,
Work ’mid springing flowers;
Work when the day grows brighter,
Work in the glowing sun;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man’s work is done. Vs 2 When man works no more. Vs 3 When man’s work is o’er.
II Corinthians 5 : 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Alma 16 : 228-234 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God: yea, behold, the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. 229 And now as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore I beseech of you, that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; 230 For after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness, wherein there can be no labor performed. 231 Ye can not say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. 232 Nay, ye can not say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world. 233 For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance, even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; 234 Therefore the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the
devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.
Alma 9 : 40, 41, 46, 51 40 And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man, in which he might repent; 41 Therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state, which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead….46 But behold, it was not so; but it was appointed unto man that they must die; and after death, they must come to judgment; even that same judgment of which we have spoken, which is the end…51 Wherefore he gave commandments unto men, they having first transgressed the first commandments as to things which were temporal, and becoming as gods, knowing good from evil, placing themselves in a state to act, or being placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good;
Helaman 5 : 51 But behold, your days of probation are past: ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation, until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure;
Alma 19 : 84, 90-91 And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man, to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God…90 Therefore, as the soul could never die,
and the fall had brought upon all mankind a spiritual death as well as a temporal; that is, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord; therefore it was expedient that mankind should be reclaimed from this spiritual death; 91 Therefore as they had become carnal, sensual and devilish, by nature, this probationary state became a state for them to prepare; it became a preparatory state.
II Nephi 15 : 10 But behold, for none of these can I hope, except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the straight path, which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation.
I Nephi 4 : 52 52 For the day should come that they must be judged of their works, yea, even the works which were done by the temporal body in their days of probation; 53 Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness, they must be cast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to righteousness; 54 Wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God to be judged of their works:
II Nephi 1 : 66-69 66 And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free. 67 And men are instructed sufficiently, that they know good from evil. 68 And the law is given unto men. 69 And by the law, no flesh is justified, or, by the law, men are cut off.
Romans 1 : 18-20; 2: 11-15 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:… 11 For there is no respect of persons with God. 12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; 13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. 14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
Revelation 20 : 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
After death one is assigned to either Paradise or Hades, reserved unto Judgment
Ecclesiastes 12 : 7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Luke 23 : 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.
Hebrews 9 : 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Luke 16 : 26 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this
flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Jude 1 : 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
Alma 19 : 44 And then shall it come to pass that the spirits of those which are righteous, are received into a state of happiness, which is called Paradise; a state of rest; a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles, and from all care, and sorrow, etc.
Everlasting punishment vise Eternal
In the New Translations, all references to everlasting fire/chains/destruction/habitation/punishment are replaced with eternal.
Everlasting - Strong's G166 – aiōnios 1) without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be 2) without beginning 3) without end, never to cease, everlasting Mosiah 1:74-76 For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit: for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his own soul; For he receiveth for his wages an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law of God, contrary to his own knowledge. I say unto you, that there are not any among
you, except it be your little children, that have not been taught concerning these things, but what knoweth that ye are eternally indebted to your heavenly Father, Galatians 6 : 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that
soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
II Thessalonians 1 : 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
Matthew 18 : 8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two
feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
Matthew 19 : 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Matthew 25 : 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Matthew 25 : 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
I personally do not believe that I Peter 3 : 18- 4:6 is referring to Christ preaching to the souls assigned to hell after His death because:
1. There would be no purpose as once a person is assigned to this place he cannot return
2. Throughout Peter’s epistles, he uses this same example, Christ uses His Spirit, through prophecy (using His preachers) to preach His Gospel among the Gentiles of old.
3. He specifically uses the Example of Noah in this place as he wants to show that “water” now saves us (through baptism) whereas it once was used to destroy the ungodly.
4. If he were preaching the doctrine of Gospel of repentance to those in Hell, why would he only single out these from the time of Noah?
5. From 1 Peter 4:1-6, we see that that the Gospel messaged was preach unto them that they might live accordingly while in the flesh.

 

What does it mean to be born again?

Sermon Topic Sunday, 5/5/13 Elder Adam Porter
What does it mean to be born again?
It’s a subject we can’t fully appreciate til we stand before Him at the judgement seat and His arms are extended to us … then we will FULLY appreciate what it means.
John 3 … Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin (ruling council), comes to Jesus secretly and acknowledges that Jesus is from God, or He could not do the miracles He had done. Jesus responded that “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” …. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”.
There is a baptism signifying our REPENTANCE … the water baptism … and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter (John 16:7ff. msl)
Verse 6 … that which is born of the flesh is flesh … indicating our physical birth, and providing the distinction between that and water baptism (born of water)
Verse 7 … Marvel not … can we look to that experience of new life? We FREELY receive of God’s power.
Ephesians 5:14 … Awake to righteousness (see also Isaiah 51:17, 52:1, 60:1) … when we wake up in the morning we see and enjoy the freshness and newness of the new day – when we are born again, we are NEW AGAIN.
He is willing to give … are we willing to receive? Those who are spiritually dead have not been willing.
The advent of Jesus into the soul of the believer is to be a life-changing event. The manifestation of Father and Son to have place in your mind and heart is by choice and submission
John 14:21-23 … those who are in Christ, who KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.
Alma 3:27-29 … Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? … Have YOU? (Hebrews 6:1-3, then go on to perfection) God has a vested interest in your progress.
This is pretty powerful stuff! We are cleansed thru the shed blood of Christ. Mercy and grace are not excuses … it takes DILIGENCE to endure in our walk with God.
Titus 2:11-14 … that He might purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works … the church must not sink with the world … look at the news today; that will be what creeps into the church … especially the “emerging church”. (Don and Brian McIndoo gave a message on the “emerging church” msl)
We should be living within a new set of divine rules, desires, and principles to guide our life. Cataclysmic events happen in life … He has provided a way through them.
1 Peter 1:15-23 … conversation (Strong’s G391, anastrophe … behavior, way of life); holy (Strong’s G40, hagios … blameless, consecrated); for I am holy (Leviticus 11:44-45) … unfeigned (Strong’s G505, anupokritos … from the Greek word for the mask a theater performer wore)
What areas of life does He affect?
The love of our brethren must be UNFEIGNED … real.
Don’t let who “they” are make you like them.
Colossians 3:18-24 … HEARTILY, as unto the Lord. Servants and masters (v. 22 and 4:1) can be understood today as bosses/supervisors and workers.
Mosiah 12:5-7 … the sons of Mosiah could not bear that any soul should be lost (see 2 Peter 3:9 msl)
Romans 12:9-21 … love without dissimulation (same Greek word as 1 Peter 1:22) … Bless those who persecute us … we want payback, we want to get back at them or to see something bad happen to them. 19 … avenge NOT yourself … God will take care of it … taking or wanting revenge/payback/”karma” is forbidden to the believer. Mind not high things … as one wag put it, “don’t hob nob with the snob mob” … and don’t be wise in your own conceit. Be honest in the sight of ALL men.
Galatians 5:13-14 … serve one another … we are called unto liberty, but we are not to use our liberty to cause another to stumble, but must love our neighbor as ourself.
Ephesians 5:1-4 … walk in love. Reject filthiness, even in talking … no foolish talking or jesting (the Greek word refers to crude ribaldry and dirty jokes, not to all humor … as in Proverbs 17:22)
Ephesians 5:11-13 … have NO FELLOWSHIP with the unfruitful works of darkness, but reprove them (the world tells us to shut up and not judge msl)
Ephesians 5: 19-21 … singing, giving thanks, keeping our hearts directed to God. As we have desired a covenant with our Lord, we are conforming to His image, and we are to be appreciating the joy we have in Him.

New Jerusalem and the Temple Lot

Tuesday night Skype/Streaming Scripture study
Brother Chris Moran

 

When you see the phrase “Temple Lot” being associated with the name Church of Christ, i.e. “Church of Christ (Temple Lot)”, does this seem strange to you? Do you think anything of it?
The Primary Function of the Church of Christ
Church of Christ Articles of Faith and Practice #14:
The primary function of the general church, of which each local church is a component part, is missionary and the building up and extension of the Kingdom of God in all the world. (Mat 24:14; Mark 16:15-18)
But we should also consider…
Church of Christ Articles of Faith and Practice #23:
We believe a temple will be built in this generation, in Independence, Missouri, wherein Christ will reveal himself and endow his servants whom he chooses with power to preach the gospel in all the world to every kindred, tongue and people, that the promises of God to Israel may be fulfilled. (Mic 4:1-2; Mal 3:1-4; 3 Ne 10:4; Eth 6:8)
Church of Christ Articles of Faith and Practice #24:
We believe that a New Jerusalem shall be built upon this land "unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph. . . " ". . . which city shall be built, beginning at the Temple Lot." (3 Ne 9:57-59, 10:1-4; Eth 6:6-8; Revelation to Joseph Smith given Sept, 22 & 23, 1832)
Regarding Revelations
A few of the following revelations that are cited herein were taken from the Book of Commandments. The Book of Commandments is a Church of Christ publication containing revelations received by Joseph Smith between 1828 and 1831. Not all in the Church of Christ ministry use it. It is not binding scripture within the Church of Christ and is not, as a book, a part of the Church of Christ scriptural standards.
In addition, some additional revelations below are taken from Revelation Book 1, which is a manuscript compilation of Joseph Smith revelations created circa May 1831 to July 1835 (not a Church of Christ publication).
The position of the Church of Christ is stated in Referendum Bill No. 1 of 1950:
The Rule of Faith of this Church of Christ shall consist of the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and such revelations purporting to be of God, past, present, or future, that agree therewith.
We should consider revelations that have been received, using the Bible and Book of Mormon as our standard, with guidance from the Holy Ghost. Each revelation must be considered singly and must stand on its own merit as being harmonious with the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
Omni 1:44 – “And believe in prophesying, and in revelations, and in the ministering of angels, and in the gift of speaking with tongues, and in the gift of interpreting languages, and in all things which are good:”
3 Nephi 13:59 – “Yea, wo unto him that shall deny the revelations of the Lord, and that shall say, The Lord no longer worketh by revelation, or by prophecy, or by gifts, or by tongues, or by healings, or by the power of the Holy Ghost;”
1 Corinthians 14:6 – “Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?”
2 Corinthians 12:7 – And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.”
Etc.
With spiritual gifts and the openness to revelation from the Lord comes the need for responsibility and discernment.
Temple Lot Revelations / Background
Taken from the Book of Commandments:
Revelation given February, 1831 – “If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries, and the peaceable things of the kingdom; that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal. Thou shalt ask and it shall be revealed unto you in my own due time where the New Jerusalem shall be built.” (Book of Commandments 44:46-47)
Revelation given March, 1831 – “Go ye forth into the western countries, call upon the inhabitants to repent, and inasmuch as they do repent, build up churches unto me; and with one heart and with one mind, gather up your riches that ye may purchase an inheritance which shall hereafter be appointed unto you, and it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the most high God; And the glory of the Lord shall be there, and the terror of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it: And it shall be called Zion: And it shall come to pass, among the wicked, that every man that will not take sword against his neighbor, must needs flee unto Zion for safety. And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven: And it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another.” (Book of Commandments 48:59-64)
Taken from Revelation Book 1 (not all early revelations were printed in the Book of Commandments):
Revelation given July 20, 1831 – “Hearken Oh ye Elders of my Church saith the Lord your God, Who have assembled yourselves together, according to my commandment in this land which is the land of Missouri which is the land which I have appointed & consecrated for the gathering of the Saints. Wherefore, this is the land of promise, & the place for the City of Zion. thus saith the Lord you God, If ye will receive wisdom here is wisdom. Behold the place which is now called Independence is the centre place, & the spot for the Temple is lying westward upon a lot which is not far from the courthouse. Wherefore it is wisdom that the land should be purchased by the saints & also every tract lying westward even unto the line running directly between Jew and gentile And also every tract bordering by the Prairies in as much as my Desciples are enabled to buy lands. Behold this is wisdom that they main obtain it for an everlasting inheritance” (Revelation Book #1, 93-94)
Revelation given September 22 and 23, 1832 – “A Revelation of Jesus Christ unto his Servant Joseph and Six elders as they united their hearts and lifted their voices on high yea the word of the Lord concerning his church established in the last days for the restoration of his people as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon mount Zion which Shall be called the city New Jerusalem which city shall be built beginning at the Temple Lot which is appointed by the finger of the Lord in the western boundaries of the state of Missouri and dedicated by the hand of Joseph and others with whom the Lord was well pleased verily, this is the word of the Lord that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the Saints beginning at this place even the place of the temple which temple shall be reared in this generation for verily this generation shall not all pass away until a house shall be built unto the Lord and a cloud shall rest upon it which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord which shall fill the house” (Revelation Book #1, 149-156)
Regarding Zion
Though there are different opinions regarding Zion, it is in general the future dwelling place of God on earth with His followers and body of believers.
Regarding “this generation”
The word “shall” may imply a requirement from the Lord that was not fulfilled by the church. There are other opinions as well.
Consider Matthew 24:34 – “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”
What things does Jesus mention in Matthew 24?
Wars and rumors of wars
Nation rises against nation
Famines, pestilences, earthquakes
Persecution of Christians
Gospel preached in all the world
Abomination of desolation setup
End time tribulation
False Christs and false prophets
Sun darkened
Moon will not give light
Stars fall from heaven
Powers of heaven shaken
Son of Man comes in the clouds with great glory
Angels gather elect from four corners
Have all these things happened? The term “generation” in Matthew 24 may refer to the general church age following Christ. In the case of the Temple Lot revelation, “generation” could mean the age of the restoration, or between the time of the restoration of the Church of Christ and the second coming of Christ.
From The John Whitmer History
As noted in the Outline History of the Church of Christ, p. 45:
The following day [August 3, 1831 – CJM] eight elders viz: Joseph Smith, Jr., Oliver Cowdery, Signey Rigdon, Peter Whitmer, jun., Frederick G. Williams, William W. Phelphs, Martin Harris, and Joseph Coe, assemble together where the temple is to be erected. Signey Rigdon dedicated the ground where the city is to stand; Joseph Smith, jr., laid a stone at the northeast corner of the contemplated temple in the name of the Lord Jesus of Nazareth. After all present had rendered thanks to the great Ruler of the universe Signey Rigdon pronounced this spot of ground wholly dedicated unto the Lord forever: Amen.
(John Whitmer History, Chap. 9, pp. 33, 34, par. 2-9.)
Land Purchases
Edward Partridge purchased the Jones Flournoy property consisting of 63 and 43/160 acres in December 1831. After the Church members were driven out of Independence in 1833, the plot was divided into city lots and sold for taxes. This ‘Temple Lot’ remained in private hands outside the church for many years.
It wasn’t until 1866-1867 that members of this Church of Christ returned to Independence and began the re-purchase of the Temple Lot property.
Church of Christ Similarities to Israel
Note that Israel itself at one purchased and owned the piece of land upon which the first temple would be built.
2 Samuel 24:21-24 – “21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people. 22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood. 23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee. 24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.”
2 Chronicles 3:1 – “Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.”
Note that Aranunah is also called Ornan in the above.
What does scripture say about a New Jerusalem and a future temple?
Ether 6:1-8 – “1 And now I, Moroni, proceed to finish my record concerning the destruction of the people of which I have been writing. 2 For behold, they rejected all the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man; and how that after the waters had receded from off the face of this land, it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; 3 Wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him, which dwelt upon the face thereof; and that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord. 4 Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land; and he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come; after that it should be destroyed, it should be built up again a holy city unto the Lord; 5 Wherefore it could not be a New Jerusalem, for it had been in a time of old, but it should be built up again, and become a holy city of the Lord; and it should be built up unto the house of Israel; 6 And that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for the which things there has been a type; for as Joseph brought his father down into the land of Egypt, even so he died there; 7 Wherefore the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph, that they should perish not, even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph, that he should perish not; 8 Wherefore the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come, when the earth shall pass away.”
3 Nephi 9:57-59 – “57 And it shall come to pass that I will establish my people, O house of Israel. 58 And behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a new Jerusalem. 59 And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you.”
Revelation 21:1-3 – “1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
3 Nephi 10:1-4 – “1 But if they will repent, and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant, and be numbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance, and they shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob; 2 And also, as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem; 3 And then shall they assist my people that they may be gathered in, which are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem. 4 And then shall the power of heaven come down among them; and I also will be in the midst, and then shall the work of the Father commence, at that day even when this gospel shall be preached among the remnant of this people.”
The above verses tell us the following:
1. The continent of North America is a choice land
2. North America is the place of the New Jerusalem
3. The New Jerusalem will include a holy sanctuary of the Lord (or temple)
4. The remnant of the house of Joseph will build the New Jerusalem
5. The Gentiles will assist the remnant of Joseph and others that will come in building the New Jerusalem
6. After the building of the New Jerusalem is begun, the power of heaven will come down among them (Christ will return)
7. The Lord will reign in the midst of the New Jerusalem
8. The work of spreading the gospel to the remnant of Israel will then be directed by the Lord
9. Old Jerusalem will be built up again and become a holy city
10. The New Jerusalem will be the place of the future holy city that will come down out of heaven (Revelation 21:1-3)
Malachi 3:1-4 – “1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: 3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. 4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.”
We know that John the Baptist came and prepared the way before the Lord. John preached repentance in preparation for the Lord (also reference Isaiah 40:3-5). It is also believed by some that this was fulfilled a second time when the holy priesthood authority for the Church of Christ was bestowed on Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith through the laying on of hands of an angel (that some believe was John the Baptist based on Joseph Smith’s account).
Regarding “shall suddenly come to his temple”, some believe this to be our bodies (those that have received the gift of the Holy Ghost).
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 – “16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
1 Corinthians 6:19 – “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”
2 Corinthians 6:16 – “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
Others believe this to be a real and literal temple.
The word “temple” in Malachi 3:1-4 has the following Strong’s definition:
Strong’s Hebrew #1964 – heykal, hay-kawl’; prob. from 3201 (in the sense of capacity); a large public building, such as a palace or temple:-- palace, temple.
The word “temple” in 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians has the following Strong’s definition:
Strong’s Greek #3485 – naos, nah-os’; from a primary (to dwell); a fane, shrine, temple:-- shrine, temple.
If Malachi 3:1 was referring to the church body, then it would seem that it would say “and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his bride”, or “and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his church”.
Two Centers of Power (East/West)
Micah 4:1-2 – “1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”
Isaiah 2:1-3 – “1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”
Joel 3:16-17 – “16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.”
Isaiah 4:3-6 – “3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: 4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. 5 And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. 6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.”
Many of the verses above seem to convey that there will be two ‘commanding centers’ from which the Lord will reign, and direct His people. Where one is in the west (the New Jerusalem), and one is in the east (the Jerusalem of old). This is consistent with Ether 6:1-8 given previously.
Haggai 2:6-9 – “6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; 7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. 9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.”
The “latter house” may refer to a third temple in old Jerusalem, or perhaps a temple in Independence. The first seems more likely as this was directed to Zerubbabel, the builder of the second temple at old Jerusalem.
Some additional verses to consider
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 – “3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”
Based on the above verses, it appears that this son of perdition, or antichrist, will sit in a future temple of God. Alternatively, it could be interpreted that this antichrist will exalt himself, just as God exalts himself in His (God’s) temple. Verse 4 may not necessarily be saying that the antichrist will sit in the temple of God.
Matthew 24:15-21 – “15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
There are different interpretations regarding Matthew 24:15. Some believe this was fulfilled in 70 A.D. at the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans. Others believe this is with reference to desecration of a future temple at the start of the great tribulation. Some believe it to be a combination of both. If it is with reference to a future event, it may imply that a future temple be built just prior to the great tribulation as it states “stand in the holy place”.
What does the word “mount” and “mountain” mean?
Strong’s Hebrew #2022 – har, har; a short. form of 2042; a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used fig.):-- hill (country), mount (-ain), x promotion.
Though it is not a literal interpretation, some believe that the term “mount” or “mountain” refers simply to the place of the Lord’s government and the term “in the top of the mountains” would refer to His government residing in the midst of other secular governments of the world.
Consider the topography of Independence:
Figure from Document “Environmental Conditions”, found on City of Independence, Missouri Website
The figure shows a great deal of variation in the elevation of the Independence, Missouri area (approximately 250 feet of variation in elevation in this particular cross-section). The Temple Lot is just west of Noland Rd. A clearing of this land (such as would happen at second coming of Christ) area would give one a better appreciation of the variation in the terrain.
This same document “Environmental Conditions” states:
A general description of the Independence area would indicate it to be gentle rolling hills, situated between the Big Blue River on the West and the Little Blue River on the east, and bounded on the north by the bluffs overlooking the Missouri River Valley.
And:
It is noted that most of the development of Independence thus far has been on the broad upland, area, where steepness of slope has not been a prevalent factor. However, in view of the large percentage of land classified as having a slope of ten percent of more, it will be important to consider conservation measures to protect and preserve the bluffs…
The accompanying map shows approximately 26 percent of the land area in the steep slope classification…
Consider Jerusalem:
(http://www.generationword.com/jerusalem101/8-old-ancient-core-of-jerusalem.html)
It is interesting to note that Independence, MO is very close to the geographical center of the United States.
Another possibility:
Just prior to the second coming and millennial reign of Christ, the Bible talks of great destruction that will result in modification of earth’s landscape (which may raise Independence with relation to its surroundings, but this is just speculation):
Revelation 6:12-17 – “12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
Revelation 16:17-21 – “17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. 18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.”
A Choice Land
2 Nephi 7:27-32 – “27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, thus saith our God: I will afflict thy seed by the hand of the Gentiles; 28 Nevertheless, I will soften the hearts of the Gentiles, that they shall be like unto a father to them; 29 Wherefore, the Gentiles shall be blessed and numbered among the house of Israel. 30 Wherefore, I will consecrate this land unto thy seed, and they which shall be numbered among thy seed, forever, for the land of their inheritance: 31 For it is a choice land, saith God unto me, above all other lands; 32 Wherefore, I will have all men that dwell thereon, that they shall worship me, saith God.”
Ether 1:32 – “And the fullness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity; for behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God, or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decrees of God.”
Is it any surprise that the Lord would establish a future New Jerusalem on the choice land of America?
Who will direct building of the temple?
Isaiah 11:1-4 – “1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.”
The “Branch” = Jesus Christ
Zechariah 6:9-15 – “9 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 10 Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah; 11 Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest; 12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: 13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. 14 And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD. 15 And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.”
Psalm 127:1 – “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”
Isaiah 66:1-6 – “1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? 2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. 3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. 4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not. 5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. 6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to his enemies.”
A temple cannot be built without direction from the Lord. The Lord may assist indirectly with the building of the New Jerusalem (a temple) prior to His second coming. The Lord may assist directly with building of a temple at old Jerusalem, after the Lord has returned. In either case, it will also take people that are spiritually prepared.
Are we seeking to bring forth Zion through our spiritual walk, keeping God’s commandments, and through prayer?
Consider the title of our Church of Christ publication, Zion's Advocate, and the BoM verse 1 Nephi 3:187
Regarding the new heaven and earth that is to come
Revelation 21:22 – “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”
Additional Revelation within the Church of Christ regarding Independence
Multiple people have had dreams and visions regarding a future temple in Independence, and Zion as residing in Independence. It is also said that the Temple Lot has been a sacred piece of land to past Native American generations.
A short portion of Apostle Archie Bell’s description of a dream he had on Sunday, July 9, 1972 is given below (taken from the Church of Christ publication The Hope of Zion):
I dreamed that the first step in the Redemption of Zion had begun. It seemed that the Temple Lot was the hub of what might be described as a circle. This circle did not take in all of the Greater Kansas City area. Something had happened before my coming on the scene, which caused those of the world inside this circle to move out. There was a line established around this circle, even though it was invisible, which prevented those who had moved out from returning. I noticed that some of those who had moved out did not go very far from the line after crossing it.
A statement from Elder A. White about a vision he had in 1885 regarding the redemption of Zion (taken from the Church of Christ publication The Hope of Zion):
Then I saw a narrow and very bright ring, which enclosed Independence and a portion of the surrounding country, the center of which seemed to be a little southwest of where I was standing, on a high spot of ground.

http://www.generationword.com/jerusalem101/8-old-ancient-core-of-jerusalem.html 

What are parents’ responsibilities to their children?

Sermon Topic Sunday, April 28, 2013 Elder Dennis Trudgen

Dennis started out with a bit of a tangent on the Boston Marathon bombers. A preacher had stated that he was so angry that he could have killed those boys, but then thought “Matthew 7:1; judge not … who am i to judge?” Well … if we are not to judge, then why put the surviving one on trial? Why put anyone on trial? Why have laws? Why not just empty the jails, if we are never to judge? (those two words, “judge not”, are only a tiny piece of two full verses spoken by the Lord, showing the danger in picking bits of Scripture out and discarding the rest … as the speakers at Radio Bible Class have put it, “a text, taken out of context, can easily become a pretext” msl)
Dennis then picked up on the bombers’ parents, and the statements they have made … the father threatened more violence and attacks if the younger was killed, and the mother called her son “a true angel”. Is this how we are to raise our kids?
1 Nephi 1:1 … i, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore, i was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; … having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God ….
Mosiah 1:4-7 … King Benjamin understood the importance of his responsibility to teach his children
1 Nephi 1:173-174 … the records that Nephi and his brothers had recovered from Laban were of great worth to them, in preserving the commandments of the Lord to their children.
Ephesians 6:1-4 … Children are commanded to obey their parents, and honor them (Exodus 20:12). Parents are commanded to not provoke their children to wrath (Strong’s G3949, parorgizo, to enrage), but to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Colossians 3:21 … Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
3 Nephi 8:52-53 … (Jesus speaking to parents) Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my Name, that your wives and your children may be blessed (The blessing of one’s children goes back at least to Genesis 27, Isaac blessing his sons, and continues in Genesis 48 and 49 with Jacob blessing and prophesying over his sons and grandsons, and is a tradition practiced by Jews today, of great significance to them msl); and the command to the people of God to meet together often (see also Hebrews 10:25).
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 (called the Shema, from the Hebrew word for “hear” msl) Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. This is reiterated in the New Testament, and validated by Jesus as the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:35-40, Luke 10:25-28)
Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the prophets … the so-called Golden Rule, which is commonly expressed as “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” This also goes back to Old Testament times, and was taught by the leading rabbis, such as Rabbi Hillel.
Jacob 2:62-63 … Wherefore, ye shall remember your children, how that ye have grieved their hearts because of the example that ye have set before them; And also, remember that ye may, because of your filthiness, bring your children unto destruction, and their sins be heaped upon YOUR HEADS at the last day.
2 Nephi 3:10-12 … Lehi blessing his grandchildren thru Laman (and in v. 14-16, the children of Lemuel) … if ye are cursed, behold, i leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing may be taken from you, and be answered upon the heads of your parents (again, this illustrates how highly regarded among the Jews, is the father’s blessing). V.11 … for behold, i know that if ye are brought up in the right way that ye should go, ye will not depart from it … where did Lehi get this? From Proverbs 22:6.
Laman and Lemuel had a gread dad, but chose to fall away anyway. The children of Godly parents do not always choose the way of Godliness.
Other examples of Godly parents:
Alma Sr., a devout man of God, who came to faith from the witness of Abinadi … Mosiah 11:159ff, had a son named after him, who was “a very wicked and an idolatrous man”. The prayers of this devout and grieved father were answered though, and Alma Jr. was knocked down while on the road, and given a “talking to” by an angel.
Alma Jr., later in life, a devout man of God from the time of his “talking to” … Alma 19:1-5, had to deal with an erring son Corianton, who forsook the ministry and committed sin with a harlot.
Lois and Eunice … 2 Timothy 1:5 Eunice was Timothy’s Jewish mother, and Lois was his grandmother. 3:14-16 … Timothy was taught the Scriptures from childhood … Paul reminds him of God’s inspiration of the Scriptures and their importance for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction.
So what is our duty to our children when they have done wrong?
Luke 15, the prodigal son … the father ran to his son, and restored him to the family. He had to admonish his older son, who complained … let’s be glad, your brother was LOST, and now is FOUND; he was DEAD, and is now ALIVE. The emphasis in this passage, is REPENTANCE
(And an ungodly parent who refused to fulfill his responsibility to his sons: 2 Samuel 2:12-3:14; High Priest Eli and what happened to him and his sons msl)
2 Corinthians 7:10 … For Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. (See also Mormon 1:35-40 … the people sorrowed deeply for what was happening to them, but it was not Godly sorrow to repentance, but only the sorrow of the damned.)
Hebrews 12:5-10 … It’s not enjoyable when the Lord has to chasten us, but just as a loving human dad chastens his kids to teach them right and wrong, so God has to chasten His children when we do wrong … and in fact, if we are not chastened by God, we are not His children.
There is only SELF-LOVE in those who will not correct their children. Those who support their children who are guilty of hate crimes are full of hate themselves, and are the most vile of sinners.
Our duty as parents is to confront the sin and seek their repentance , as did the examples we have throughout the Scriptures.

 

How was the world judged in the past? And what’s been happening lately?

Sermon Topic Sunday April 21, 2013 Elder Adam Porter
How was the world judged in the past? And what’s been happening lately? …The days of Noah, and the Ark
Genesis 6:5, 11-12 … the world was entirely filled with wickedness and VIOLENCE. People today angrily ask Christians “Where is your God when such evil is done?”, but then turn around and condemn Christians for being “judgemental” and worshipping a mean judgemental God when he does act in response to great evil.
God did not UTTERLY destroy human, animal or plant life. Every kind of animal was preserved. And Noah and his family were found righteous … God always has His remnant (1 Kings 19:18 msl) For those who would say God is evil for destroying all those people … how many more people could have been accommodated on the Ark, if they had chosen to get on?
7:1 … 7 days before the flood started, God called them into the Ark. Do we ask God for specific preservation in our lives? …direction? …are we WILLING to have Him direct our lives? (they sat in that Ark for a week after God closed the door … during that time, could other people have chosen to knock on the door, and been admitted? msl)
Noah PREACHED righteousness so that others would not perish (2 Peter 3:9)
7:11 … Noah was 600 years old when the flood started. The people on the Ark had left families behind … that must have been a great sorrow. Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth and their wives would have only taken dependent minor children on the Ark with them … how many aunts/uncles, cousins/nieces/nephews, siblings, adult children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren etc. did those four couples leave behind, knowing that they would never see them again?
6:19 Each creature AFTER ITS KIND was taken into the Ark. All the different breeds of critters on Earth came from those taken on the Ark.
The “fossil record” is used to “prove” evolution from simpler creatures to more complex. Variations in KINDS of critters since the flood prove “micro-evolution”, but there is NO evidence of “macro-evolution”, or change from a simpler KIND of critter to a more complex KIND. (the only thing that the fossil record actually PROVES is that at some point in Earth’s history, billions of living creatures were SUDDENLY, INSTANTANEOUSLY OVERWHELMED, buried and hence preserved … gee, how could that have happened? msl)
7:16 … God, the LORD, shut the door. There was only one door into the Ark, and only one door into the Kingdom of Heaven (John 10)
7:18 … the waters PREVAILED … all land was covered. Modern geology reflects this, with fossils of sea creatures found on mountains (again, a creature can only be fossilized by being instantaneously completely buried … a creature lying dead would be picked away by scavengers and decay msl) … The waters prevailed for 150 days; the fact that this is recorded shows that they kept track of time back then.
8:7 … Noah sent first a raven, which didn’t come back … a raven is a scavenger and could have found any slimy thing to perch on … then he sent the dove, which came back, and a week later the dove again, which returned with an olive branch showing that the land was dried enough for plant life to grow; and again a week later, when the dove did not return.
8:13, 9:1 Noah and his family opened the Ark on the first day of the first month of Noah’s 601st year, and left the Ark on the 27th day of the 2nd month (they boarded on the 10th of the 2nd month the year before … they were on the Ark for 382 days), and were commanded by God to multiply and replenish the Earth, as were the creatures they took aboard. The multiplication and natural selection have given us all the different breeds of critters we have today.
8:20-21 … Noah built an altar and offered sacrifices to the Lord, and the Lord smelled a sweet savor…. When we perform our daily work on Earth, does He smell a sweet savor?
8:22 … the establishment of the seasons, after the loss of the water canopy over Earth.
9 … the loss of relationship with the animal kingdom, the beginning of eating animals for food, and the establishment of capital punishment for the shedding of innocent blood; the command to repopulate the Earth, and the covenant that God would never again destroy all life by flood, with the rainbow as the sign. Other religions have taken the sign of the rainbow and changed its meaning, but God’s covenant still stands. The Lord always gives a sign of His covenants.
Ether 3:8, the Jaredite migration … their boats are also described as “tight like unto the Ark of Noah”
Hebrews 11 … where is the proof of your faith? Many today believe there is a God, but choose not to serve Him. How does your faith manifest in your life? V.7, BY FAITH Noah built the Ark.
1 Peter 3:18-21 … Jesus’ sacrifice is the ONLY one that is sufficient … death has been overcome … water baptism is the answer of a good conscience toward God, engaging one’s faith in repentance. (Phillipians 2:12, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling) No half-heartedness on our parts … give it ALL to God, He wants nothing less. There are those who have gone into the waters of baptism without giving their heart to the Lord … all they got was wet.
John 10:1 enter in by the DOOR
John 10:7-9 … I AM the door … there is no other ( 2 Corinthians 11:14, the enemy masquerades as an angel of light, and offers all kinds of false doors) … There is NO salvation in any other. Just as Noah and his family entered into the only door of the Ark to be saved, and the door was shut by God, so Jesus calls us to enter into salvation thru the only door, and be closed into the fold by God.
3 Nephi 10 … Jesus teaching His people in this land that He has NOT forgotten His covenant with Jacob (Israel). 10:15 … for a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. The Jews would be a hiss and a byword, and the Native Americans were also badly mistreated by the Gentiles, but God will keep His covenant and restore them to their lands.
Matthew 24 … what is yet to come? He will be coming! V. 35 … heaven and earth shall pass away, but MY WORDS SHALL NOT PASS AWAY. Let us remember the words of Hymn #354, With A Steadfast Faith … They truly inspire us to LIVE the Christian faith. And the chorus: Though the sun and moon and starts shall cease, and the beauty of the earth decay, Yet the Word of God, oh blessed be His Name, It shall never, never pass away.
V. 37-39 … How many people just go on as they have all along; living in the flesh and never heeding the warnings, til the events happen. (Genesis 7:11; there was no time once the water burst from the earth and fell from the sky for the people to build their own boats msl) WATCH … for you do not know the day nor the hour.

ANCIENT RECORDS ON METAL PLATES

ANCIENT RECORDS ON METAL PLATES
Tuesday night Scripture Study: ANCIENT RECORDS ON METAL PLATES, by Chris Moran
Is this picture really true?
Picture from a 1957 Publication
Keep in Mind
True faith in the Book of Mormon (or the Bible) does not require Archaeological evidence, or evidence of writing on other ancient metal plates. Early believers in the Book of Mormon had no knowledge of other ancient writing on metal plates. At the same time, it is interesting and worth our time to consider recent Archaeology and external evidence that we can use to support the Book of Mormon.
The criticism of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon plates:
Quote from THE GOLDEN BIBLE, by M.T. Lamb, published in 1887:
Every good honest Mormon says “Yes,” and believes it fully. He believes that the Book of Mormon is a true historical record of God’s dealings with this ancient people upon this continent; that its contents were “given by inspiration of God,” and “confirmed by the ministering of angels;” that the men who composed its pages wrote as they were moved by the Holy Ghost; that Joseph Smith translated it “by the gift and power of God;” that it is, and was designed to be, a revelation of God’s will to men, and a “guide in faith and practice.”
But after a very careful study of the book, a conscientious and painstaking examination of all the evidences he has been able to gather both for and against it, the author of these pages has been forced to reject every one of the above claims. He is compelled to believe that no such people as are described in the Book of Mormon ever lived upon this continent; that no such records were ever engraved upon golden plates, or any other plates, in the early ages; that no such men as Mormon or Moroni or any other of the prophets or kings or wise men mentioned in the book, ever existed in this country; that Jesus Christ never appeared upon this continent in person, or had a people here before its discovery by Columbus.
Quote from Stuart Martin, The Mystery of Mormonism (London: Odhams, 1920):
It does not seem to have been pointed out to the youth that gold will corrode if left in the earth for the number of years those plates were supposed to have been buried.
Some examples of the use of engraved plates in the Book of Mormon
Plates of Brass:
1 Nephi 1:61 – “For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews, and also a genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass.”
Plates of Nephi:
1 Nephi 5:218 – “And it came to pass that the Lord commanded me, wherefore, I did make plates of ore, that I might engraven upon them the record of my people.”
Plates of Ether:
Mosiah 5:60-64 – “60 And the king saith unto him, I being grieved for the afflictions of my people, I caused that forty and three of my people should take a journey into the wilderness, that thereby they might find the land of Zarahemla; that we might appeal unto our brethren to deliver us out of bondage; 61 And they were lost in the wilderness, for the space of many days, yet they were diligent, and found not the land of Zarahemla, but returned to this land, having traveled in a land among many waters; 62 Having discovered a land which was covered with bones of men, and of beasts, etc., and was also covered with ruins of buildings of every kind: 63 Having discovered a land which had been peopled with a people which were as numerous as the hosts of Israel. 64 And for a testimony that the things that they have said are true, they have brought twenty-four plates, which are filled with engravings; and they are of pure gold.”
Mosiah 9:166-169 – “166 Now King Limhi had sent, previous to the coming of Ammon, a small number of men to search for the land of Zarahemla; but they could not find it, and they were lost in the wilderness. 167 Nevertheless they did find a land which had been peopled; yea, a land which was covered with dry bones; yea, a land which had been peopled, and which had been destroyed; 168 And they having supposed it to be the land of Zarahemla, returned to the land of Nephi, having arrived in the borders of the land not many days before the coming of Ammon. 169 And they brought a record with them, even a record of the people whose bones they had found; and they were engraven on plates of ore.”
The plates Joseph Smith received:
The plates Joseph Smith received had been buried in a stone box by Moroni. These plates that Moroni assembled were translated by Joseph Smith. They consisted of the following records:
Plates of Mormon (content independently written and content abridged by Mormon, including the large plates of Nephi) The small plates of Nephi An abridgment of the plates of Ether by Moroni A sealed portion containing the vision of the Brother of Jared Writings of Moroni
What Joseph Smith said regarding the plates:
“He [Moroni] said there was a book deposited written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang.” (Times and Seasons, May 1842)
The following quotes regarding the plates Joseph Smith received are from http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon/Translation/Description_of_the_plates
(Source references can be found there)
Material
“which have the appearance of gold” – Eight Witnesses “golden plates” – David Whitmer
Some have suggested that the plates were an alloy of gold/silver, or gold/copper.
Alma 17:31-35 – “31 And now my son Helaman, I command you that ye take the records which have been entrusted with me; and I also command you that ye shall keep a record of this people, according as I have done, upon the plates of Nephi, and keep all these things sacred which I have kept, even as I have kept them: for it is for a wise purpose that they are kept; 32 And these plates of brass which contain these engravings, which have the records of the holy scriptures upon them, which have the genealogy of our forefathers, even from the beginning. 33 And behold, it hath been prophesied by our fathers, that they should be kept and handed down from one generation to another, and be kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord, until they shall go forth unto every nation, kindred, tongue and people, that they shall know of the mysteries contained thereon. 34 And now behold, if they are kept, they must retain their brightness; yea, and they will retain their brightness; yea, and also shall all the plates which do contain that which is holy writ. 35 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things, are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances, doth confound the wise.”
Per Wikipedia.org:
“Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal.”
“Its high malleability, ductility, resistance to corrosion and most other chemical reactions, and conductivity of electricity led to many uses of gold, including electric wiring, colored-glass production and gold leafing.”
Note also that gold is un-reactive metal. It does not break down when exposed to the environment for long periods of time. It does not react with water, oxygen (air), or acid. So if under the ground, it will not react with anything.
Size of each plate
“7 inches in length, 6 inches in breadth” – Oliver Cowdery “six inches wide by eight inches long” – Joseph Smith Jr. “seven inches wide by eight inches in length” – Martin Harris “about eight inches long, seven inches wide” – David Whitmer
Thickness of each plate
“of the thickness of tin” – Oliver Cowdery “of the thickness of plates of tin” – Martin Harris “thin leaves of gold” – Martin Harris “about as thick as parchment” – David Whitmer “They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metalic [sic] sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one does sometimes thumb the edges of a book.” – Emma Smith
Thickness of the whole volume
“a pile about 6 inches deep.” – Oliver Cowdery “The volume was something near six inches in thickness” – Joseph Smith “[W]hen piled one above the other, they were altogether about four inches thick.” – Martin Harris
Regarding the thickness, it is not noted whether they are commenting on the unsealed portion, or the combination of the sealed and unsealed portions.
Weight
“weighing altogether from forty to sixty lbs.” – Martin Harris “I was permitted to lift them. . . . They weighed about sixty pounds according to the best of my judgement.” – William Smith (younger brother of Joseph Smith Jr.) “I hefted the plates, and I knew from the heft that they were lead or gold.” – Martin Harris
Note that 24K gold (100% purity) with a density of 19.282 grams per cubic centimeter weighs 0.697 lbs. per cubic inch. Assuming 6” x 8” dimensions of each plate, assuming no gaps between plates/pages, and assuming a thickness of 6”, this volume would weigh 6 inch x 8 inch x 6 inch x (0.697 lbs. / inch3) = 200.736 lbs. Again, this is with no gaps between the plates/pages, and 24K gold. If 50% of the space consisted of air (gaps), this would result in about 100 lbs. If the volume was not quite 6 inches in height, the weight would be even less.
According to Michael R. Ash (http://www.mormonfortress.com/gweight.html):
Heather Lechtman, in a 1984 article in Scientific America, addressed the recent discovery of several large metal objects in South America… Lechtman explains that the most important alloy discovered at these South American sites was a mixture of copper and gold known as “tumbaga.” When copper and gold are melted together they mix, and stay mixed after they cool and solidify. This alloy was known not only in South America, but in Mesoamerica as well. Tumbaga ranged from 97 percent gold to 97 percent copper with traces of up to 18 percent of other metals, impurities, or silver. Once the gold finish was applied to the tumbaga it would appear to be made of solid gold. Putnam explains that tumbaga “the magic metal, can be cast, drawn, hammered, gilded, soldered, welded, plated, hardened, annealed, polished, engraved, embossed, and inlaid.” Nevertheless, tumbaga will destroy itself if it is not stored properly. It is therefore interesting to note that the Book of Mormon plates were laid atop two stones which lay across the bottom of the stone box so that the plates would not be exposed to water or dirt.
Too little gold in the Book of Mormon plates would have made them brittle, and too much gold would have made them too heavy as well as increasing the danger of distortion during engraving. Thus, according to Putnam’s calculations, the Book of Mormon plates (which were probably tumbaga) were between 8 and 12 carat gold and thus would have weighed between 53 and 86 pounds. To the eye, however, the tumbaga plates would have had the appearance of pure gold. The research of Robert F. Smith reveals that “if the plates were made of the tumbaga alloy, other details fit into place. Take the color of the plates: The plates are consistently described as ‘gold’ and ‘golden.’ When tumbaga (which is red) is treated with any simple acid (citric acid will do), the copper in the alloy is removed from its surface leaving a brilliant .0006 inch twenty-three karat gilt coating. Indeed, this process was used in ancient America. Plus, this surface covering is much easier to engrave. Likewise, pure gold would be too soft to make useful plates. But tumbaga is remarkably tough and resilient....” Not only did Joseph Smith hit the nail on the head with the claim that the Book of Mormon was engraven upon metal plates, but the Nephites could have chosen no better material to vindicate their sacred scripture than tumbaga which has the “appearance of gold.”
We do not know if tumbaga was used for the Book of Mormon plates, but it seems likely that they would’ve been made of an alloy of some sort that included gold.
Sealed vs. unsealed
“A large portion of the leaves were so securely bound together that it was impossible to separate them.” – David Whitmer “What there was sealed appeared as solid to my view as wood. About the half of the book was sealed.” – David Whitmer
Rings
“[T]hey were fastened with rings thus [a sketch shows a ring in the shape of a capital D with six lines drawn through the straight side of the letter to represent the leaves of the record].” – David Whitmer “bound together like the leaves of a book by massive rings passing through the back edges” – David Whitmer “They were bound together in the shape of a book by three gold rings.” – David Whitmer “put together on the back by three silver rings, so that they would open like a book” – Martin Harris “bound together in a volume, as the leaves of a book with three rings running through the whole” – Joseph Smith
Engravings
“[The plates] were filled with . . . Egyptian characters. . . . The characters on the unsealed part were small, and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction and much skill in the art of engraving.” – Joseph Smith Jr. “We also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship.” – Eight Witnesses “There were fine engravings on both sides.” – John Whitmer
Engraved Plates in the Bible
Exodus 28:36-38 – “And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.”
Now to consider other plates found in the world…
Darius Plates Where Discovered: Found at Audience Hall (Apadana) in Persepolis, Iran Description: Regarding the Darius Plates, the book Ancient Writing on Metal Plates states that they were “trilingual, in duplicate on two gold and two silver plates; ten lines Old Persian, seven lines Elamite, and eight lines Akkadian sealed in a stone box. Apparently the author thought the message was important and needed to be preserved because the same message was found at Hamadan in one gold and one silver plate... Discovered in 1938”.
Reference: Cheesman, Paul R. (1985), Ancient Writing on Metal Plates: Archaeological Findings Support Mormon Claims, Boutiful, Utah: Horizon Publishers & Distributors, Incorporated.
Photos of the Darius Plates and associated stone box can be found at the website for the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.
Pyrgi Tablets Where Discovered: Pyrgi, Italy Description: The Pyrgi Tablets were found in ancient Pyrgi, Italy (modern day Santa Severa). According to J.T. Hooker, “Shorter, but very important because of their historical implications and because they provide us with the closest thing to a bilingual inscription, are the texts inscribed on the three gold tablets found at Pyrgi, the harbour of Caere (Cerveteri), (Because of their great value they are kept in a bank vault in Rome. …) Two are in Etruscan, one in Phoenician. A fourth tablet, in bronze and fragmentary, also had an Etruscan inscription … The tables date from about 500 BC.”
Reference: Hooker, J.T. (1990), Reading the Past: Ancient Writing from Cuneiform to the Alphabet, Great Britain: The Bath Press.
Note that though the tables date from 500 B.C., the Pyrgi tablets are in excellent condition.
Book on Gold Plates at Bulgaria Where Discovered: Found near Strouma River in south-western Bulgaria Description: According to BBC News, “The world's oldest multiple-page book - in the lost Etruscan language - … contains six bound sheets of 24 carat gold … The small manuscript, which is more than two-and-a-half millennia old, was discovered 60 years ago in a tomb uncovered during digging for a canal along the Strouma river in south-western Bulgaria. … The authenticity of the book has been confirmed by two experts in Sofia and London, museum director Bojidar Dimitrov said quoted by AFP. There are around 30 similar pages known in the world, Ms Penkova said”.
Reference: BBC News (2003), “Unique book goes on display”. Retrieved April 25, 2011, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2939362.stm.
Interestingly, the book dates to 600 B.C., which is exactly when Lehi's family in the Book of Mormon left Jerusalem (and had plates of their own). This book has no signs of corrosion.
Diamond Sutra Gold Plates Where Discovered: Five Storied Stone Pagoda in Wanggung-ri, Iksan, South Korea Description: According to the website “Book of Mormon Research”, “In 1965, a set of gold plates engraved with the Buddhist “Diamond Sutra” was found in the five-story stone pagoda at Wanggung-ri, Iksan, Chollubak province, Korea. Dating to the 8th century AD (the Goryeo era ), they were placed inside a brass box measuring 10.3 cm in height that was placed inside a stone box. The chest and solid gold sheets are designated National Treasure No. 123 and are housed in the National Museum of Korea in Seoul. The sheets are connected by hinges and hence comprise a book or “screen.” ”
Reference: http://bookofmormonresearch.org/site_index/metal-records/far-east/korean-diamond-sutra
Jewish Gold Lamella
Where Discovered: Halbturn, Austria
Description: In 2006, archaeologists at the University of Vienna’s Institute of Prehistory and Early History found an inscribed gold plate in a third-century AD Roman cemetery in Halbturn, Austria. One gold and three silver-plated amulets inscribed with pagan magical texts were found in a stone sarcophagus in the cemetery. The gold-plated Jewish amulet, rather than bearing a magical text, is inscribed with the Jewish prayer known as the Shema (“hear”), found in Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.” Like the text inscribed on the gold plates of the Book of Mormon, it is scriptural in nature. The inscription shares another feature with the Nephite record: though the text is Hebrew, it is written using a non-Hebrew alphabet, in this case Greek. (The Book of Mormon used reformed-Egyptian characters in its composition.)
Reference:
http://bookofmormonresearch.org/site_index/metal-records/israelitejewish/jewish-gold-lamella
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080316124416.htm
Roman Bronze Plates Where Discovered: Ancient Roman Dacia province (now Romania) Description: A pair of ancient Roman military diplomas inscribed on bronze plates were discovered in 1986 in present day Romania.
The following content is from “Two Ancient Roman Plates”, by John W. Welch and Kelsey D. Lambert.
https://byustudies.byu.edu/PDFLibrary/45.2WelchLambertRoman-5cb374e2-ef73-48ea-9634-745d6d3ea9f8.pdf
The plates are 4.8 inches (12.2 cm) by 6.4 inches (16.2 cm). Each plate is 1 to 1.1 millimeter thick, about the thickness of thin cardboard, and weighs about seventy grams, or two and a half ounces.
A small hole is found in two of the corners of each plate. Metal rings inserted through these matched holes attached the two plates. They “acted as hinges to the tablets,” so that the pair of plates could be opened and closed like a book. Similar holes are found on all plates up until the beginning of the reign of Hadrian (ad 117–38).
The plates were examined over several months. They were determined to be an authentic Roman military diploma from AD 109.
Drawing of the method used to bind and seal the plates. (1) The two plates were attached with a ring in two of the corners. (2) The pair was then closed up. (3) A wire was strung through two holes in the middle of both plates. (4) The wire was twisted to fasten the plates snugly together. (5) Wax was poured over the wire and impressions of the witnesses’ seals were attached. (6) A metal box was secured over the seals for their protection. Drawings by Michael P. Lyon.
Regarding the similarities to the Book of Mormon plates:
Beyond the fact that these plates offer one of the finest examples found anywhere of ancient writing on metal plates, several specific similarities evoke comparisons between these Roman bronze plates and the gold plates from which Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon.
The Roman plates are a little less than five inches by seven inches. Based on statements by various witnesses who saw or handled the gold plates, the individual leaves were estimated to be six to six and a half inches wide and eight inches long, close to the same size.
The Roman plates are about one sixteenth of an inch thick, slightly thicker than the Book of Mormon plates, which Joseph Smith described as “not quite so thick as common tin,” and Emma Smith called “pliable like thick paper.”
Pairs of Roman military diplomas were typically put together with two rings, one in each of the two corners on the right-hand side of the first plate. The plates of Mormon consisted of a large stack of plates and thus were bound together through the back with three large rings.
In both cases, one part of the text was open and the other sealed, although in different ways. The Roman plates were sealed to each other by a wire running through holes punched down the middle of the plates. The lower section of the Book of Mormon plates was sealed securely together and appeared to some to be as closed as a block of wood.
Ashur Gold Tablet
Where Discovered: Ashur, now Qual'at Serouat, Iraq
Description: The gold tablet was found during an excavation around the city of Ashur, now Qual'at Serouat, Iraq, by a team of German archeologists led by Walter Andrae. The inscribed tablet, which was discovered in the foundation of the Ishta Temple, is actually a construction document, according to the judge. It dates to the reign of the Assyrian King Tukulti-Ninurta I (1243-1207 BCE) who expanded the Assyrian empire but was later killed by his son.
Reference: http://bookofmormonblog.org/category/gold-plates/
Regarding the Ashur table, notice the fineness of the characters and the many that fit on this very small piece of gold (approximately 1” x 1.5” estimate based on the picture).
Sargon II Plate
Where Discovered: Iraq
Description: The Louvre Museum in Paris has some ancient plates on display. Some are gold; others are made from other metals. They were discovered during the excavation of the palace of Sargon II, the Assyrian king from 721-705 BC. The site is known as Khorsabad, for the modern-day Iraqi city nearby.
Reference: http://bookofmormonblog.org/category/gold-plates/
Silver Scrolls Where Discovered: Ketef Hinnom, west of old city of Jerusalem Description: In 1979, two silver scrolls, or amulets, were found in Ketef Hinnom next to the Scottish Church of St. Andrew in Jerusalem. The scrolls contain an inscription of the Preistly Benediction from Numbers 6:24-26. The scrolls are dated 7th century B.C..
Reference: Yudkin, Gila. (2005, 2009), "Holy Sites: Gila's Highlights - Let's see where the Priestly Benediction was found". From http://www.itsgila.com/highlightspriestly.htm.
Mayan Gold Discs
Where Discovered: Chichen Itza, Yucatan Description: During the 1950s the Peabody Museum participated in a project at Chichen Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula. Alfred Tozzer directed a team which dredged the sacred well (cenote) at this site, and found a number of embossed gold discs among the offerings which had been thrown into the sacrificial well. One of these, in particular, bears in inscription in Mayan glyphs around the edge of the disc. This is an excellent example of writing on metal – one which scholars accept as genuine, insofar as the New World is concerned.
Reference: Cheesman, Paul R. (1985), Ancient Writing on Metal Plates: Archaeological Findings Support Mormon Claims, Boutiful, Utah: Horizon Publishers & Distributors, Incorporated.
Orphic Gold Tablets
Where Discovered: Southern Europe, Gravesites
Description: A series of small gold tablets/plates that have been discovered in southern Europe buried with the dead. They include instructions regarding what they should do and say when they reach the Afterlife. They are written on thin plates of gold. The label “Orphic” is here referring to the Orphic religion popular in the ancient Greek and Thracian world. They vary in date between 400 B.C. and 260 A.D.
Reference: http://www.heavenlyascents.com/2009/06/18/instructions-for-the-netherworld-the-orphic-gold-tablets/
Copper Scroll
Where Discovered: The copper scroll was found in cave 3 near Khirbet Qumran. Description: The copper scroll contains inscribed ancient writing. The copper scroll consists of two rolls of copper found at cave 3 near Qumran. The scroll lists locations for gold and silver treasures. The photo below shows a picture of an original copper roll before it was cut into sections (top right), the original copper scroll fragments after being cut (now oxidized), the pot where the scroll was kept (left), and a framed reproduction of the scroll.
Consider the following quote
“The Book of Mormon will remain in the realm of faith. It has a bodyguard of scholars who now surround it and protect it from the frail attacks often made on it. But even so, it's the witness of the Spirit that matters most.”
Neal A. Maxwell
Thank you Chris!