I’ve slowed down our progress through the Book of Mormon in order to allow the Gospel Doctrine class to pull ahead. The class is covering different aspects of the scriptures than my analysis, so hopefully, we’ll arrive at a well-rounded investigation of the scriptures without too much repetition.
When we left off, the angel was speaking to Nephi of the need for men to come unto Christ. Speaking of those men, he says:
41. And they must come according to the words which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb; and the words of the Lamb shall be made known in the records of thy seed, as well as in the records of the twelve apostles of the Lamb; wherefore they both shall be established in one; for there is one God and one Shepherd over all the earth.
“The records of thy seed” refers to the Book of Mormon, while the “records of the twelve apostles” refers to the Bible. These two books of scripture work together. They complete each other. We believe that the Book of Mormon is a true book of scripture, but that does not at all mean that we devalue the worth of the Bible.
42. And the time cometh that he shall manifest himself unto all nations, both unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles; and after he has manifested himself unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles, then he shall manifest himself unto the Gentiles and also unto the Jews, and the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.
Everyone, regardless of nationality, religion, political affiliation, or creed will see Christ and know that He is. They will have a choice to make, a final and definite choice, as to whom they will serve.
Moving into chapter fourteen:
1. And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks—
2. And harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, they shall be numbered among the seed of thy father; yea, they shall be numbered among the house of Israel; and they shall be a blessed people upon the promised land forever; they shall be no more brought down into captivity; and the house of Israel shall no more be confounded.
Everyone will see Christ. Those who choose to listen to Him will have a remarkable gift given to them – their stumbling blocks will be taken away. All the reasons they used to have for ignoring the workings of the Holy Spirit will be removed. Their obstacles will no longer hold them back and they will be able to move forward, both in their religious lives and life in general.
If they choose not to harden their hearts, they will become a part of the House of Israel and fall heir to the promised land. They will remain free and will no longer fall into captivity.
The House of Israel will stand and be confounded no more. When men and women choose to follow Christ and stand firm in His teachings and their testimonies, they cannot be confounded, as they know the truth. We become confused when we question our beliefs. As we strengthen our beliefs, there is no room for confusion.
From today’s reading: how can we strengthen our beliefs so we are no longer confused?
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