Mormon 8:16

And blessed be he that shall bring this thing to light; for it shall be brought out of darkness unto light, according to the word of God; yea, it shall be brought out of the earth, and it shall shine forth out of darkness, and come unto the knowledge of the people; and it shall be done by the power of God.

The Book of Mormon came seemingly from nowhere. No one in the world had any inkling that a book written by ancient prophets lay buried in a hillside in New York. The entire Christian world was convinced that the Bible was the whole and only word of God, and nothing would ever be added. It was a foregone conclusion that God had finished his work among mankind and we were on our own to do the best we could with what we had. Then along comes a teenager in an obscure village with little education and no church affiliation, who claims that God has spoken to him, and within a few years he produces a book to back up his claim. Truly the Book of Mormon came out of obscurity and out of darkness.

Mormon 8:15

For none can have power to bring it to light save it be given him of God; for God wills that it shall be done with an eye single to his glory, or the welfare of the ancient and long dispersed covenant people of the Lord.

It has been said, a wicked man could not write the Book of Mormon, and a good man would not try. Only a prophet would publish such a book, claim it came from God, and then make the fantastic promise that if the reader prays, God will tell him it is true. The promise is so bold and blatant, it must be where everyone should start who wants to test the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. No other criticism of the church could possibly carry greater weight than the authenticity or falsity of the Book of Mormon.

Mormon 8:12

And whoso receiveth this record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of greater things than these. Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would make all things known unto you.

The scriptures are a gateway to revelation. By the power of the Holy Ghost we can learn more than the words on the printed page. Moroni knows far more than he has written in the plates. It is not, however, his place to teach us all things. Some teachings God reserves for himself to give to us individually as we are ready to receive them.

Mormon 7:9

For behold, this is written for the intent that ye may believe that; and if ye believe that ye will believe this also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them.

The Book of Mormon and the Bible are inextricably bound together. Each helps us believe in the other because they both bear the same message and are familiar expressions of the same truth. They both come from the mind of the same Author.

Mormon 7:7

And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end.

Because Christ has redeemed us, we can in fact pass before the judgment bar of God totally guiltless. We can be perfect in Christ. And then note the next phrase: it will be given to us to dwell with God. To live in the presence of the Father and the Son is a gift. First, Christ has to erase our sons, which is totally a gift of his love and mercy. And then when he has cleaned us all up through his perfect sacrifice, he gives us the gift of eternal life with him in the presence of Heavenly Father, which we totally do not deserve! The whole idea is beyond comprehension and truly humbling. As Elder Holland once said, how thrilling it must be for God to be merciful to those who least expect it and don't think they deserve it. Of course we won't really have time to stand around all day and sing songs of praise in a heavenly choir,  but we will feel like it as we are filled to overflowing with gratitude as we begin to comprehend the gift we have received.

Mormon 7:6

And he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his judgment-seat.

Resurrection is a free gift given to all mortals. It is apparently not optional, anymore than death is optional. The Lord never violates our agency, but some aspects of life are not subject to agency. We made the choice to come to earth, but we do not get to choose whether we leave this life. We may, in some circumstances, choose how and when we leave this life, but not "if". Similarly, resurrection is an inescapable fact. We choose, by how we live and how we exercise our faith, to what degree of glory we are resurrected, but not "if" we are resurrected.

Mormon 7:5

Know ye that ye must come to the knowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the victory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up.

As Mormon writes his final words to the posterity of a destroyed civilization, the shares a powerful lesson with a promise. He tells his readers to "come to a knowledge of [their] fathers," thus echoing the commandment to "remember", which appears often in the Book of Mormon. Remembering means not only knowing who our fathers were, but also knowing what they knew. In other words, it is to regain the knowledge the fathers had about God, Christ, and the Plan of Salvation, which was lost through apostasy. It is to discover again what we should have known all along. Once the knowledge is restored, we can recognize our sins and repent, believe in Christ, and accept him as our Savior. That is Mormon's whole purpose and his labor of love.

Mormon 5:18

But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they.

Christ is both sail and anchor in our lives. A boat serves us when it can carry us forward in fair winds and shelter us in the storms. Without a sail, the wind does not help us; and without an anchor, the storms can carry us far off course. When we have faith in Christ, he will carry us forward and keep us on course, and he will not let the storms destroy us.

Mormon 5:11

For I know that such will sorrow for the calamity of the house of Israel; yea, they will sorrow for the destruction of this people; they will sorrow that this people had not repented that they might have been clasped in the arms of Jesus.

Because the Nephites willingly and intentionally turned away from Christ, he could do nothing for them. He cannot embrace those who do not want to be embraced. I do not understand why anyone would not want to be clasped in the arms of Jesus. To be warm and safe in his arms is the most comforting experience I can imagine. I make lots of mistakes and fail constantly to live up to the life I know I should live, but I repent when I realize my mistakes. And so I have hope in Christ.

Mormon 5:2

But behold, I was without hope, for I knew the judgments of the Lord which should come upon them; for they repented not of their iniquities, but did struggle for their lives without calling upon that Being who created them.

Just as Mormon could not forsake his people, even though he had no hope for them, God never forsakes his children, even when they refuse to repent. He loves all his children eternally and wants every single one to return to him. To paraphrase Elder D. Todd Christofferson, God's love is eternal but not unconditional. The word "unconditional" does not appear in the scriptures. What we read there is that we must repent, keep the commandments, and love God and our fellow man. Otherwise, the mercy of Christ's Atonement can have no effect on us, and justice must take effect. God's love will not save us if we do not qualify for mercy. He knows the end from the beginning, and so he knows how the test of mortality will turn out for each of us, but he never gives up and never walks away. We may turn our backs on him, but he does not turn his back on us.

Mormon 3:20-22

And these things doth the Spirit manifest unto me; therefore I write unto you all. And for this cause I write unto you, that ye may know that ye must all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, yea, every soul who belongs to the whole human family of Adam; and ye must stand to be judged of your works, whether they be good or evil; And also that ye may believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, which ye shall have among you; and also that the Jews, the covenant people of the Lord, shall have other witness besides him whom they saw and heard, that Jesus, whom they slew, was the very Christ and the very God. And I would that I could persuade all ye ends of the earth to repent and prepare to stand before the judgment-seat of Christ.

Amen!

Mormon 2:26

And it came to pass that when they had fled we did pursue them with our armies, and did meet them again, and did beat them; nevertheless the strength of the Lord was not with us; yea, we were left to ourselves, that the Spirit of the Lord did not abide in us; therefore we had become weak like unto our brethren.

If we insist on relying on our own strength, the Spirit of the Lord will withdraw. We will then see how truly weak we really are. Sometimes we need to be reminded of how dependent we are upon the power of God in our lives. When we become proud and self-sufficient, the Lord gives us a taste of what life would be like without him. I for one do not want to be without God in the world.

Mormon 2:15

And it came to pass that my sorrow did return unto me again, and I saw that the day of grace was passed with them, both temporally and spiritually; for I saw thousands of them hewn down in open rebellion against their God, and heaped up as dung upon the face of the land. And thus three hundred and forty and four years had passed away.

The day of grace is never passed for those who sincerely wish to repent. No sin is so severe, so deep, and so frequently repeated that it is beyond the reach of Christ's Atonement. Nevertheless, if we do not avail ourselves of Christ's merciful gift through repentance, he will not force his mercy upon us. If the day of grace is passed, it is because we choose to deny grace, and we refuse to ask for forgiveness. If we refuse mercy, the only alternative is justice.

Mormon 1:16

And I did endeavor to preach unto this people, but my mouth was shut, and I was forbidden that I should preach unto them; for behold they had wilfully rebelled against their God; and the beloved disciples were taken away out of the land, because of their iniquity.

I cannot think of another instance when the Lord would not permit one of his servants to preach. Even at the height of the Israel's apostasy, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and other prophets still called Israel to repentance and testified both of the displeasure and the mercy of God. Alma was called twice to the wicked Zoramites, and Samuel was sent to the walls of sinful Zarahemla. When no one was allowed to preach in Mormon's day, however, we know they must have been truly ripe for destruction. Thankfully, the Lord allows his missionaries to still work among us. But when the day ever comes that the Church withdraws its missionaries from our land, we can know the end is near for us.

4 Nephi 1:38

And it came to pass that they who rejected the gospel were called Lamanites, and Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites; and they did not dwindle in unbelief, but they did wilfully rebel against the gospel of Christ; and they did teach their children that they should not believe, even as their fathers, from the beginning, did dwindle.

After two centuries of peace and faithfulness for the Nephites, culture won out over discipleship. The people were more drawn to their ancient, virtually extinct cultural differences than they were to their shared faith. If we look at the United States today, do we not see a similar pattern? That which divides us is becoming more important than that which unites us. Our cultural loyalties are becoming more defining than our national loyalty. This point in the Book of Mormon chronicle exists for the same reason that Mormon included so many other details. He saw our day and drew parallels to his own national history. His country ground itself to pieces because of irreconcilable differences. We are on the same trajectory, just as Mormon knew we would be.

4 Nephi 1:16

And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.

A Christ-centered life is a happy life. A life without sin is a happy life. These verses tell us that evil did not exist among these happy people. They do not say, however, that they had no challenges, sickness or trials. They still lived in a mortal world where things go wrong, bad things happen to good people, the sun does not always shine, children get sick, accidents happen, and loved ones die. Missing, however, were the unnecessary trials of sin. Life is hard enough without weighing ourselves down with foolish sins. Trials do not destroy happiness, but sin does. It is not the circumstances around us but the attitude within us that determines happiness.

4 Nephi 1:15

And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.

Where love of self or of wealth abides, peace is superficial at best and is short-lived. Pride destroys peace. Where the love of God abides in the heart of the people, peace prevails. The love of God is the only program for peace on earth.

4 Nephi 1:2-3

And it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another. And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.

Equality and unity are always characteristics of a believing people. These are not programs, but are the natural results of people living the gospel and following Christ. Look for willing and voluntary equality and unity, born out of a genuine love of God and neighbors, and you will find true Christians.

4 Nephi 1:1

And it came to pass that the thirty and fourth year passed away, and also the thirty and fifth, and behold the disciples of Jesus had formed a church of Christ in all the lands round about. And as many as did come unto them, and did truly repent of their sins, were baptized in the name of Jesus; and they did also receive the Holy Ghost.

A natural outcome when a group of people share a belief is to organize and come together to strengthen one another in that shared belief. This is church in its simplest form.

3 Nephi 29:6

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!

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What he has done in the past we will do among us today and in the future. God does not change, but men change. If he does no miracles among a people, it is not because he lacks the power, but because they lack the faith.

3 Nephi 29:1

And now behold, I say unto you that when the Lord shall see fit, in his wisdom, that these sayings shall come unto the Gentiles according to his word, then ye may know that the covenant which the Father hath made with the children of Israel, concerning their restoration to the lands of their inheritance, is already beginning to be fulfilled.

The publication of the Book of Mormon is a sure sign that the gathering is beginning and the Second Coming is close at hand. We hold the fulfillment of prophecy in our hands.

3 Nephi 28:39

Now this change was not equal to that which shall take place at the last day; but there was a change wrought upon them, insomuch that Satan could have no power over them, that he could not tempt them; and they were sanctified in the flesh, that they were holy, and that the powers of the earth could not hold them.

Power over the earth is truly rare and miraculous, but power over Satan is available to all. Satan has no power except the power we give him. We can dismiss him any time we want. All we have to say is "Get thee behind me, Satan! Get thee hence." If we really mean it, he has no choice but to depart.  Those who have bodies always have power over those who do not.  According to this scripture the three Nephites received additional power so that Satan COULD NOT tempt them.  In other words,  when they banished him, he had to stay banished, so they did not have to waste time and energy constantly casting him out. This is a marvelous gift, and in the Millennium we will all have this gift to truly bind Satan. For now,  however, we must depend on the gift we already have, which is to be able to cast him out regularly. Recall from the experience of Moses, who cast Satan out of his presence, that he may not go quietly or happily.  But if we are firm in our determination, he must leave us, at least for a period.

3 Nephi 27:29

Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened.

I love this oft-stated invitation to ask and receive. God wants us to come to him and learn of him. He does not say "Plead until you are blue in the face, knock until your knuckles are bloody. And then just maybe, if I'm in a good mood and you have proven you are absolutely perfect, I might consider answering." Ask and knock, receive and come in. If he loves us as much as he claims he does, why would he treat us any other way than with open arms and open heart?

3 Nephi 27:1 Part 2

And it came to pass that as the disciples of Jesus were journeying and were preaching the things which they had both heard and seen, and were baptizing in the name of Jesus, it came to pass that the disciples were gathered together and were united in mighty prayer and fasting.

Great power comes from unity of faith. The faith of a single individual can be tremendously powerful; the faith of many united in a single purpose multiplies the power exponentially. When we work and pray together, the individual weakness of one can be compensated for by a matching strength of another, and so the whole group can be perfect. God loves a united people.