A LATTER DAY ROSE

 

There is a story of faith in the Book of Mormon that touches me to my core. It is the story of Enos whose faith became ‘unshaken’ in the Lord during his lengthy prayer in the forest (Enos 1:2,11). Faith is mentioned seven times in one chapter that constitutes the book of Enos. So unshaken in his faith Enos became that the Lord told him that his desires will be granted (v 12, 15).

And this was the desire of Enos: that the record of his people be preserved and brought unto salvation of the Lamanites at a future date (v 13). The Lord informed him that his predecessors too have ‘required’ this of Him and that their faith will be honoured also and the records therefore preserved (v 18). Think about it. The Lamanites were the enemies of the prophets that prayed for their salvation.

So bound was the Lord  by the faith of these righteous men that he made a covenant with Enos as to the fulfilment of His request (v 16) and confirmed this in our dispensation: “But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose” (D&C 49;24).

“The Lamanites must rise again in dignity and strength to fully join their brethren and sisters of the household of God in carrying forth his work in preparation for that day when the Lord Jesus Christ will return to lead his people, when the Millenium will be ushered in, when the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory and its lands be united and become one land.” (Spencer W. Kimball, “Our Paths Have Met Again”, Ensign Dec 1975, pp 5,7)

President Kimball went on to say that ‘the remnant of the house of Joseph’, meaning the Lamanites, will be built upon the land of America which is their inheritance. The Book of Mormon gives us more of an insight into the role they will play in our day.

When the Saviour visited the Americas post resurrection He spoke of the immense pride, lyings, deceits, hypocrisy, murders and priestcrafts, whoredoms and secret abominations of the Gentiles that will exist in the land prior to His return. He made it clear that if they do not repent then ‘the remnant of Joseph’ will rise to clear the land of its wickedness ‘as a lion among the beasts of the forest’ (3 Nephi 16:10; 20:15-17).

The Saviour also stated that after the cleansing of the wicked, the Lamanites will assist in building of the New Jerusalem, following which He would personally supervise their conversion and gathering (3 Nephi 21:23-26; see also “Prophecy and Modern Times” by Clean Skousen p 38 and President Marion G. Romney, BYU Speeches of the Year 1972)

Alma made it clear that “there are many promises which are extended to the Lamanites for it is because of the traditions of their fathers that caused them to remain in their state of ignorance; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto them…..and they will be brought to believe in his word….and many will be saved for the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his name” (Alma 9:16)

I see the Saviour so clearly in the concept of the House of Israel. His mercy and forgiveness is undeniable towards this group of people whom He has chosen as His despite their mortal imperfections and inadequacies. And the promises of gathering of all the tribes from the four quarters of the earth will never cease until He fulfils ‘the covenant which the Father hath made unto all the people of the House of Israel’ (3 Nephi 16:5)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Christ in the Land of Bountiful by Simon Dewey)

 

 

THE CROWNING EVENT

 

I wondered the other day what I would answer if someone asked me what may favourite Book of Mormon story was. I reflected on the most impactful ones such as Alma’s conversion and Captain Moroni, Helaman and his 2,000 stripling warriors but I could not deny that Christ’s visit to America was the crowning event of the Book of Mormon.

I cannot read of the three-hour physical disturbance and destruction without imagining how terrifying that would have been, especially experiencing three days of total and utter darkness (3 Nephi 8:5-23). The crying and howling of the people would have been horrifying to listen to for that long: the sorrow and anguish over the dead, the regret of disobedience and stoning of the prophets, the loss of loved ones, the panic of not being able to locate your children or receive help if you were hurt. No wonder the righteous will be caught up to meet the Saviour at His coming, because I imagine the destruction that will happen at that time will be gruesome.

Many people today who believe in Christ imagine He will come with mercy bearing a bouquet of roses but this is far from the truth. When the inhabitants of the Americas heard the Saviour’s voice following the destruction that occurred, He articulated 12 times that He was the one that caused the death of all the people naming 15 cities which He destroyed (3 Nephi 9:3-12). Notice He spoke in first person in every instance saying “I” did this, leaving no doubt as to who or what caused the destruction.

It was only after the more wicked people were disposed of, that mercy was extended to the remaining population (v 13, 14). And with extended mercy came an abolishment of animal sacrifice and a request for a broken heart and a contrite spirit instead (v 20). In other words, mercy is only extended to the repentant.

Every time we repent of a sin or a weakness, we place it on the altar of sacrifice. Just as the fire consumed the animal placed thereon, the Holy Ghost purges that sin from our souls and purifies our hearts, making us anew. We will want to be ‘new’ when Jesus returns and we will want to be caught up to meet Him. The time to offer our hearts on the altar of sacrifice is now.

No event in the Book of Mormon is more impactful and powerful than the three days of darkness at the onset of Christ’s visit, witnessing that ‘the light and the life of the world’ conquered death and darkness on the hill of Calvary (v 18). And because He had conquered, He could then say: “….come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved.” (v 13)

 

Where is the sting of death,

The enemy of righteousness,

And humanity’s foe?

The fire of its power lies in ashes

Quenched at Calvary long ago.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: One Shepherd by Howard Lyon)

IN REMEMBRANCE

 

 

The approaching Easter is leading me to ponder a lot about the gift of resurrection. Two significant things have stood out to me from the Book of Mormon, that are leading me to rejoice about the resurrection of Christ:

•  When the Saviour instituted the ordinance of the Sacrament, He instructed His disciples to do this “in remembrance of my body which I give a ransom for you” (JST Matthew 26:26b). The emphasis here is on the broken body of Christ which was offered as sacrifice. When visiting the Americas, He instructed the Nephites, “this shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shown unto you” (3 Nephi 18:7). The emphasis here is on the resurrected body of Christ. In other words, ‘even though I was broken and dead, I am now alive and well. Rejoice, for in me is life’. Each time we partake of the Sacrament, our sorrow for the broken body of Christ should be equaled with our joy for His resurrection and the gift of immortality.

• When yet in mortality, the Saviour told His disciples, “Ye are therefore commanded to be perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (JST Matthew 5:48). When visiting the Nephites, the Saviour included Himself in that statement by saying, “Therefore, I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (3 Nephi 12:48). Why did He include himself? Because you cannot become perfect without resurrection. I am not saying that Christ was not perfect in character and His spirit, which He was. I am talking about perfection as in completion. In other words: resurrected, complete, finished. This should help us understand that we can only become perfect on resurrection day. Not that resurrection alone will grant that perfection, but that having completed our mortal probation and being sanctified through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we will be resurrected to perfection of both body and spirit. Now that is something to rejoice about!

The glory and majesty of the resurrected Christ is unfathomable to me. I yearn for an experience such as this: “When I was doing missionary work with some of our brethren among the Indians…I found myself one evening in the dreams of the night, in that sacred building, the Temple. After a season of prayer and rejoicing, I was informed that I should have the privilege of entering into one of those rooms, to meet a glorious Personage, and as I entered the door, I saw, seated on a raised platform, the most glorious Being my eyes have ever beheld, or that I even conceived existed in all the eternal worlds. As I approached to be introduced, He arose and stepped towards me with extended arms, and He smiled as He softly spoke my name. If I shall live to be a million years old, I shall never forget that smile. He took me into His arms and kissed me, pressed me to His bosom, and blessed me, until the marrow of my bones seemed to melt! When He had finished, I fell at His feet, and as I bathed them with my tears and kisses, I saw the prints of the nails in the feet of the Redeemer of the world. The feeling that I had in the presence of Him who hath all things in His hands, to have His love, His affection, and His blessings was such that if I ever can receive that of which I had but a foretaste, I would give all that I am, all that I hope to be, to feel what I then felt!”   (Apostle Melvin J. Ballard, Temple Manifestations, p 153)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Risen Lord by Arnold Friberg)

ISAIAH AND THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY

 

Nephi loved Isaiah and referred to him as ‘the prophet’. He quoted him extensively to his people, for one reason, that they may have hope (1 Nephi 19:24). Since Isaiah’s main theme is his testimony of Jesus Christ, who is our hope in this life and in the realms of eternity, it was Nephi’s aim to point his people, and us, in that direction.  

Even though Isaiah wrote in a poetic form using extensive symbolism and spoke of prophecies that were dualistic in nature making it a challenge to understand, it is impossible not to feel the strength of his testimony of the God he called the Holy One of Israel, which permeates his entire book. Consider verses such as these: “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation (Isaiah 12:2); O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou has done wonderful things…….. thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat……(Isaiah 25:1,4); As for our redeemer, the Lord of Hosts is His name, the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 47:4).

Nephi mentioned three reasons why Isaiah’s writings are hard to understand but he also gave us the pathway to understanding when he said that the words of Isaiah are plain ‘unto those who are filled with the spirit of prophecy (2 Nephi 25:1-5). It is true that knowing the historical background and the manner of prophesying amongst the Jews is most helpful in this endeavour but the depth of our understanding of Isaiah comes from the depth of our testimony ’for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy’ (Revelation 19:10).

I wept and understood the Saviour’s mercy to the House of Israel when I read His quote of Isaiah’s poetic prose during His visit to the Americas: “For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee….with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee….for the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee” (3 Nephi 22:7-10). Is this not the hope that Nephi intended for us of latter days to have? I wonder if he wept too in the realms of heaven when the Saviour quoted ‘the prophet’  to his people, the broken branch….the remnant of the House of Israel.

 

We are Israel, Thy chosen seed

Who in times past disregarded Thee

But now Thine angels rejoice over us

And Thou art as promised dew unto us.

In Thine mercy Thou has sought to gather us

In Thine heart Thou hast chosen to cherish us;

In Thee is deliverance from our barren years

In Thee is mercy for our penitent tears.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Artist Unknown)