Thought: I
hope the following helps to keep you motivated and inspired. I hope it is
confirmation that Mormon beliefs are justifiable, and deserve to be respected
alongside other Christian denominations:
I
just read the first 31 pages of the Book of Mormon, and was entranced by 1
Nephi chapters 8 and 10. I feel as thought I could almost stop there, and come
away with something. That something is this:
The
Book of Mormon should be read by all Christians. As an Atheist, that's not the effect I thought the book would have
on me. Nevertheless, I can imagine the amount of "push back" Mormons
have to face, trying to convince a "Christian" to read it. What a
shame. Because it is the most clearly written Christian Biblical Document. If
Christians would be willing to read the text, compare it to what they already
believe, most would not only agree with it, but would find that it
strengthens their faith even further. 1 Nephi 10 provides a greater and more
straight forward message than Paul's letter to the Romans. And Romans is
considered to be the definitive New Testament Epistle. The Reformation was
based on Romans. But Nephi chapter 10 tops it.
There are really only two hangups to widespread Christian
acceptance of the Book of Mormon. The first, is the fact that, the Book of
Mormon isn't already in the Bible. If the chapters of the Book
of Mormon were placed within the standard bible , and Christians
just grew up knowing that 1 Nephi was found after Malachi and Jeremiah or
Habakkuk...they would bite into it hook line and sinker. It would be accepted
as biblical cannon. What could possibly make them object? The second hangup is that the origin of the
book of Mormon is still relatively new. But they confuse the translation of
Joseph Smith in the 1800's with the 600 BC time frame of 1 Nephi. If Christians
could accept 1 Nephi as 600 BC writing they would accept what it says. Can you
imagine the level of excitement they would have if the dead sea scrolls
contained excerpts from 1 Nephi? (ignoring the continental logistical problem).
If the ancient text was carbon dated to 600 BC with the quote, " six
hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem, a prophet would the
Lord God raise up among the Jew--even a Messiah...a Savior of the
world"... what christian would protest that? They would consider it the
greatest confirmation of the actual existence of Christ!
And as for the "craziness" of the Mormon origin story, is it no worse than any biblical story? Christians believe that God carved and wrote the ten commandments on stone tablets. But gold plates are somehow impossible? Christians believe that God sent Daniel and St. John visions. But Nephi's father can't have visions? Saul a persecutor of Christians can play a surprise role in God's message, but Joseph Smith can't? Christians see Christ as an all powerful Savior of the whole human race. But Jesus isn't allowed to VISIT the whole human race? I just don't see and of these "Mormon" things as being anymore preposterous than anything else that is already accepted by all Christians. Finally, it is massively ironic that, Christians reject Mormons in the same way Jews rejected Christians. Christians see Christianity as strengthening and clarifying the Jewish faith, but fail to even consider the strengthening and clarifying that Mormonism could do to their christian faith. (An Atheist's Response to the Book of Mormon October 16, 2014 source: Dear Miss Mormon)
Book of the
Week- Christ and the New Covenant, Jeffrey R. Holland
Nahum and 2 Kings 21-25
NAHUM 663-612 BC - Hymn # 80
34th book in the Old Testament - 7th
of the Minor Prophets - A native of Elkosh (a lost site in southern Judah) or
the meaning or location of Elkosh is not known, but tradition holds that
ancient Capernaum was the home of this prophet; its Hebrew name, kephar-nahum, means "village of
Nahum." The message directed to Nineveh-the capital of Assyria-which had
been a threat to Israel since at least 850 BC and threatened Judah until Sennacherib's
forces were divinely decimated at the end of the century. Nahum's prophecy was fulfilled, shortly
after he gave it, about 612 BC, when the mother city of Assyria, Asshur, was
destroyed (614 BC), then Nineveh, the capital city, fell; and finally the rest
of the empire capitulated to Nabopolassar, king of the rising empire of
Babylon.
Nahum
means "full of comfort" and could refer to the comfort he brought to
Judah in the knowledge of the end of the threat of Assyria. Nahum is written in beautiful poetic form. Nineveh had repented in the days of Jonah,
now it is wicked again and will have to pay the consequences.
Chapter One Describes both the destructive might
and the abundant goodness of the Lord. At the end of it, he foretold the end of
wickedness and heralded the era of peace on earth in words similar to Isaiah's.
Chapter Two Nahum graphically and dramatically
described the invasion and overthrow of Nineveh.
Chapter Three He told why the destruction was deserved.
2
Kings 21-25
Chapter 21-
Vs.1-9 - Manasseh never met a sin he didn't
like. 2 Chron. 33:11-19 has a very hard to believe story of Manasseh.
Vs. 12-15 - The
Lord has no more patience for this people
Vs. 18-26 - Amon
was as bad as his dad, but wasn't able to live as long.
Chapter 22-
Hezekiah got a great grandson! Josiah began his reign at age 8 and did some big
time reforms at age 26. They found lost scriptures and heard the words of a
prophetess who gave bad news for Judah and good news for Josiah? Vs. 19-20
Chapter 23-
Vs. 25 - Maybe Josiah should be my favorite king instead of Hezekiah. "I
feel strongly that we must all of us return to the scriptures just as King
Josiah did and let them work mightily within us, impelling us to an unwavering
determination to serve the Lord." (SWKimball, Ensign, Sept. 1976, p. 4-5) Vs. 26. Josiah Could Not Undo What
Manasseh Had Done “Manasseh is mentioned here and at [2 Kings 24:3and Jeremiah 15:4] as the person who, by his
idolatry and his unrighteousness, with which he provoked God to anger, had
brought upon Judah and Jerusalem the unavoidable judgment of rejection. It is
true that Josiah had exterminated outward and gross idolatry throughout the
land by his sincere conversion to the Lord, and by his zeal for the restoration
of the lawful worship of Jehovah, and had persuaded the people to enter into
covenant with its God once more; but a thorough conversion of the people to the
Lord he had not been able to effect. For, as Clericus has correctly observed,
‘although the king was most religious, and the people obeyed him through fear,
yet for all that the mind of the people was not changed, as is evident enough
from the reproaches of Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and other prophets, who prophesied
about that time and a little after.’ With regard to this point compare
especially the first ten chapters of Jeremiah, which contain a resumé of his
labours in the reign of Josiah, and bear witness to the deep inward apostasy of
the people from the Lord, not only before and during Josiah’s reform of
worship, but also afterwards.” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 3:1:492.)
Vs. 29- Why do
you think Josiah went to Megiddo? The result was 4 years of Egyptian rule. Josiah didn't sire righteous sons.
Jehoahaz reigned 3 months and was taken into Egypt & Jehoiakim (Eliakim)
for 11 yrs. He paid tribute to Egypt for protection from Babylon. Then to
Babylon, then he rebelled and was taken toward Babylon, but apparently died on
the way and was given the burial of an ass. (no burial)
Chapter 24-
In the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC-Babylon defeated Egypt- sending Judah to Babylonian
control.
Vs. 12–16. How Many Times Was the Temple in
Jerusalem Desecrated under Nebuchadnezzar’s Reign? Vs. 13 records that
Nebuchadnezzar “carried out thence [from the temple] all the treasures.”
Evidence indicates, however, that the temple of Solomon was spoiled three times
under Nebuchadnezzar. The first time was when Jerusalem was attacked and
Jehoiakim was taken to Babylon. The vessels removed at this time were those
that Belshazzar profaned, as recorded in Daniel 5:2, and that Cyrus, the
Median-Persian king, permitted the Jews to carry back to Jerusalem when they
were released (see Ezra 1:7–11). When Nebuchadnezzar came against
Jerusalem a second time, as recorded in Isaiah, he also took spoil. The third
time was when Nebuchadnezzar pillaged the temple under Zedekiah, the last king
of Judah (see 2 Kings
25:13–17). (OTSM)
Chapter 25
Zedekiah did not believe their
prophecies,: It happened that the two prophets agreed with one another in what
they said as in all other things, that the city should be taken, and Zedekiah
himself should be taken captive; but Ezekiel disagreed with him [Jeremiah], and
said that Zedekiah should not see Babylon [see Ezekiel 12:13], while Jeremiah said to him, that
the king of Babylon should carry him away thither in bonds [see Jeremiah 34:3]; and because they did not both
say the same thing as to this circumstance, he disbelieved what they both
appeared to agree in, and condemned them as not speaking truth therein,
although all the things foretold him did come to pass according to their
prophecies, as we shall show upon a fitter opportunity.” (Josephus- Antiquities, bk. 10, chap. 7, par. 2.) 2 Kings 25:7
Vs. 27-30 - An interesting turn in events for Jehoiachin
Hezekiah
(1)
Manasseh
(2)
Amon
(3)
Josiah
(4)
Jehoahaz
(5)- Jehoiakim (6) - Zedekiah (8)
Jehoiachin
(7)
