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What is the Book of Mormon?
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This book can change your life
The Book of Mormon is the keystone of the restored Gospel. Latter-day Saints place a lot of importance on it. Every person should read it. Here's why you should.
WHAT IS THE BOOK OF MORMON?
The Bible tells us that, before the destruction of Jerusalem by the the Babylonians in 600 B.C., the Lord called many prophets to call the Israelites to repent of idolatry and wickedness. One of those prophets was a man named Lehi.
Lehi preached repentance and the people in Jerusalem tried to kill him, like they did with the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. Lehi was then commanded to take his family and flee Jerusalem. God promised to lead him to a land of promise, one choice above all other lands. The Lord led Lehi and his family to the New World. So begins the story of the Book of Mormon.
The Book of Mormon is another witness of Jesus Christ, similar to the Bible. It is a testimony that God remembers the scattered tribes of Israel and will fulfill his covenant with them. It is a testimony that Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind and that salvation and exaltation depend on placing faith in him alone.
The Book of Mormon contaiins the writings of many prophets over a 1000-year period that were compiled by a man named Mormon. He is the editor who abridged these writings and added his own commentary. Mormon engraved the book on gold plates so that they would endure for centuries and could not be altered.
The Book of Mormon teaches that Jesus Christ appeared to his "other sheep" who were of the house of Israel in a distant land. Jesus Christ taught these Israelites, ordained 12 disciples among them, and taught them how to live in peace and harmony. It contains the marvelous account of this visitation by the Resurrected Lord to these people.
The Bible says that all things shall be established by the mouth of two or three witnesses. The Bible is the first written witness of Christ. The Book of Mormon is the second witness. It carries the subtitle, "Another Testament of Jesus Christ." It is the "sealed book" of Isaiah 29:11-14, the Stick of Joseph described in Ezekiel 37:16-20, and the gospel restored by the angel in Revelation 14:6.
HOW DID WE GET THE BOOK OF MORMON TODAY?
The last prophet to write on the gold plates buried them in a hill in what is now upstate New York, near Palmyra township. The plates were revealed to the young man Joseph Smith, who translated them by the power of God into English and published them. Joseph Smith is regarded as a prophet by Latter-day Saints. The Book of Mormon is considered a "proof" of his Divine calling. Joseph was an uneducated farm boy, yet he translated the Book of Mormon by the Spirit of God in approximately two months time. Joseph was permitted to show the gold plates to eleven witnesses after he had translated them.
SO WHY SHOULD YOU READ IT?
If you are a Christian, you will find teachings that will inspire you and bring you closer to Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon teaches in great plainness the need for faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, and obedience to God's commandments. It clarifies the Bible, helps you discern the teachings of men from the teachings of Christ, and shows you the Lord's plan in the last days. It testifies of the resurrection, explains why God permits suffering and misfortune to befall mankind, and how we can live to be truly happy. Its passages will touch your heart and help you live the gospel more fully. It teaches you that God still speaks to mankind and that he is a God of miracles today, yesterday, and forever.
If you are not a Christian, the Book of Mormon provides a second witness that Jesus Christ lived and that he was truly the Son of God. It confirms the testimony of the Bible in an age when many find reason to doubt the Bible's veracity. The Book of Mormon is for the convincing of men that Jesus is the Christ. The Book of Mormon comes with a promise that you can know for yourself that God lives, that Jesus is the Savior, and that he can speak to you through the Holy Ghost. The Book of Mormon invites you to know for yourself, independent of anyone else, that it is true.
HOW CAN YOU KNOW THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE?
Moroni, the last prophet to write upon the gold plates of Mormon invited us to ask God if the book was true or not. He wrote:
"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would aask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the gtruth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."
When you read the Book of Mormon and ask God if it is true, with sincerity and real intent to follow the answers you'll get, God will speak to you through the still, small voice of the Spirit. At that moment you will know that God lives, that Jesus is real, that he died for us and rose from the dead. You will know that God calls prophets in our time and that Joseph Smith was one of them. When you know that Joseph Smith was truly called of God and that he translated the Book of Mormon by God's power, you will know that God is real and that his Church is on the earth once again.
For these reasons, Latter-day Saints invite you to read the Book of Mormon. It will change your life.
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