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Thanks everybody for your questions. Thanks SergeantL for the answers.
The first prophet in the Book of Mormon is a man named Lehi. (Doji, you may recognize this name from Utah geography--the city Lehi was named after the first Book of Mormon prophet) He lived at Jerusalem around 600 B.C., just before the Babylonian exile. He was a visionary man and "saw and heard much" of the Lord and in one of his first visions saw the Lord as "One descending out of the midst of Heaven" who "came down and went forth upon the face of the earth". He also saw the destruction of Jersusalem and went forth among the people and began to prophesy and declare the things he and seen and heard. But the people were angry at him and sought to take away his life.
It came to pass that the Lord spake to him in a dream and told him to take his family and depart into the wilderness. And so Lehi and his family were led out of Jerusalem and across the Arabian peninsula and eventually across the ocean into a land of promise, on the American continent. Lehi had several sons, among who were Nephi and Laman. Nephi was faithful and believed his father's words and sought to keep the commandments of the Lord. Laman on the other hand was not faithful, but murmured and even sought to take away his father's life.
The teachings, dreams, and prophesies of the prophet Lehi constitute much of the first part of the Book of Mormon and are some of the most profound religious teachings in all of scripture, in my opinion. I have quoted from them extensively as we discussed the fall of man.
Soon after the death of Lehi, Laman and his brother Lemuel rebelled against their younger brother Nephi and sought to take away his life. The Lord led Nephi and those who were faithful to depart into the wilderness and separate themselves from the people who were now called Lamanites.
The Nephites were eventually destroyed as a people (about 400 A.D.) because they fell into wickedness, and the Lamanites remained as at least one of the principle ancestors of the American Indians.
Much of the contention involving the Nephites and between the Lamanites and Nephites was based on religion, particulary the doctrine of Christ. This is one reason the Book of Mormon is such a powerful witness of Christ.
I will discuss the crowning event in the Book of Mormon tomorrow.
By the way, I am roughly following and occasionaly quoting and paraphrasing the introduction to the Book of Mormon which can be found in the front part of the book.
The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of Jesus Christ among the Nephites and Lamanites shortly afer His ressurection. As you already know these people (the Nephites and Lamanites) were Israelites who were separated from their brethren in the Old World. The Book of Mormon people had been amply taught concerning the need for a savior, and they had received the promise that the Lord would come and minister to them after His death and ressurection. There were many who believed these prophecies and there were many that rejected them.
Jesus told His disciples in the Old World that He had other sheep that He must bring and that there should be one fold and one shepherd. His disciples mistakenly thought that He meant the Gentiles, but the gentiles would only hear the gospel through the preaching of His disciples. The Lord's ministry was to the house of Israel and as such the Book of Mormon people were to be visited and taught by the Lord Himself.
When the Lord first appeared to the Nephites and the Lamanites He said, "Behold, I am Jesus Christ whom the prophets testified shall come into the world."
During His ministry in the New World, Jesus taught the gospel to the people, outlined the plan of salvation and told men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come. His teachings are recorded in the Book of Mormon.
The prophet Mormon lived about 300 years after the Lord's visitation in the New World. After enjoying a remarkable period of peace and prosperity following the visitation of Christ, the people had now become proud and had, for the most part, rejected the gospel. This led to wars and contentions which culminated in the entire destruction of the Nephites.
Mormon was instructed of God to make an abridgement of the many Nephite records with a special emphasis on their religious history. He recorded his abridgement on gold plates. After Mormon completed his writings, he delivered the account to his son Moroni who added a few words of his own and hid up the record in the hill Comorah. Moroni was the last christian Nephite that we know about.
Next, the coming forth of Book of Mormon in these latter days.
The first prophet in the Book of Mormon is a man named Lehi. (Doji, you may recognize this name from Utah geography--the city Lehi was named after the first Book of Mormon prophet) He lived at Jerusalem around 600 B.C., just before the Babylonian exile. He was a visionary man and "saw and heard much" of the Lord and in one of his first visions saw the Lord as "One descending out of the midst of Heaven" who "came down and went forth upon the face of the earth". He also saw the destruction of Jersusalem and went forth among the people and began to prophesy and declare the things he and seen and heard. But the people were angry at him and sought to take away his life.
It came to pass that the Lord spake to him in a dream and told him to take his family and depart into the wilderness. And so Lehi and his family were led out of Jerusalem and across the Arabian peninsula and eventually across the ocean into a land of promise, on the American continent.
I have bolded the portions of your post that I have questions about.
The timeframe around 600 B.C. is documented in the book of Jeremiah. In that book, the Lord clearly tells the people of Jerusalem that they have only two choices: they can stay with the city and be destroyed by the Babylonians, or they can willingly leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians. (Jeremiah 21:8-10)
He goes on to say in chapter 25:28-29 that they may try to refuse the punishment, but that it will be unavoidable. All will be punished.
I don't understand how one family (of Lehi) managed to escape God's judgement. God was extremely clear in speaking to Jeremiah that none were to leave, rather, they were to submit to Babylon. Why would the Lord tell Jeremiah to tell all of the people of Jerusalem this message, and then give a contradictory message to Lehi?
I have bolded the portions of your post that I have questions about.
The timeframe around 600 B.C. is documented in the book of Jeremiah. In that book, the Lord clearly tells the people of Jerusalem that they have only two choices: they can stay with the city and be destroyed by the Babylonians, or they can willingly leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians. (Jeremiah 21:8-10)
He goes on to say in chapter 25:28-29 that they may try to refuse the punishment, but that it will be unavoidable. All will be punished.
I don't understand how one family (of Lehi) managed to escape God's judgement. God was extremely clear in speaking to Jeremiah that none were to leave, rather, they were to submit to Babylon. Why would the Lord tell Jeremiah to tell all of the people of Jerusalem this message, and then give a contradictory message to Lehi?
First, let’s examine the entire script. Jeremiah is telling King Zedekiah what is going to happen. The siege had not commenced; however, once it did, there would be only two choices for the inhabitants of the city, surrender or die. There is nothing in the context of these verses, which prevents people from leaving before the siege begins. Next, we do not know whether Jeremiah prophesized to Zedekiah before or after the departure of Lehi and his family, but even if it were before, as I stated, there is nothing in the prophecy to Zedekiah that prevented people from leaving the city before the siege. Lastly, the prophecy of Jeremiah was ignored, and I am certain it was business as usual in Jerusalem. This means people continued in business and commerce, which meant inhabitants of the city traveled out into surrounding areas. Finally, it is not logical, nor is it probable, that all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were present when the siege began. There were certainly inhabitants who were in other places for personal or business reasons.
I also want to state that God must isolate the righteous from the punishments of the unrighteous, or we are all in trouble. We know the entire world will be destroyed by fire, if God does not protect the innocent, then we are all subject to that judgment. I don’t believe in the rapture, but I believe God will isolate the righteous from that punishment just as He rescued Noah and his family from the flood.
You are absolutely correct regarding Chapter 25:28-29. Once the siege began, the inhabitants would have no choice but to accept the punishments.
First, let’s examine the entire script. Jeremiah is telling King Zedekiah what is going to happen. The siege had not commenced; however, once it did, there would be only two choices for the inhabitants of the city, surrender or die. There is nothing in the context of these verses, which prevents people from leaving before the siege begins. Next, we do not know whether Jeremiah prophesized to Zedekiah before or after the departure of Lehi and his family, but even if it were before, as I stated, there is nothing in the prophecy to Zedekiah that prevented people from leaving the city before the siege. Lastly, the prophecy of Jeremiah was ignored, and I am certain it was business as usual in Jerusalem. This means people continued in business and commerce, which meant inhabitants of the city traveled out into surrounding areas. Finally, it is not logical, nor is it probable, that all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were present when the siege began. There were certainly inhabitants who were in other places for personal or business reasons.
I also want to state that God must isolate the righteous from the punishments of the unrighteous, or we are all in trouble. We know the entire world will be destroyed by fire, if God does not protect the innocent, then we are all subject to that judgment. I don’t believe in the rapture, but I believe God will isolate the righteous from that punishment just as He rescued Noah and his family from the flood.
You are absolutely correct regarding Chapter 25:28-29. Once the siege began, the inhabitants would have no choice but to accept the punishments.
Thank you Dojilynn for the question and thank you, once again, for your answer SergeantL.
Fast forward 1400 years. Young Joseph Smith's family moved from Vermont to New York after a devastating crop failure. They settled near Palmyra in upstate New York. This is where it all began for joseph Smith-- the religious revivals, the intense religious awakening, and the confusion over religion that characterized what has now been called the "burned over district" in Western New York in the early 1800's. Preachers and ministers were moving into the new settlements of upstate New York and gathering converts for their respective churches. Joseph's family were joining some of these churches and Joseph wanted to join a church as well, but the whole scene was very confusing to him.
In his own words:
For, notwithstanding the great love which the converts to these different faiths expressed at the time of their conversion, and the great zeal manifested by the respective clergy, who were active in getting up and promoting this extraordinary scene of religious feeling, in order to have everybody converted, as they were pleased to call it, let them join what sect they pleased; yet when the converts began to file off, some to one party and some to another, it was seen that the seemingly good feelings of both the priests and the converts were more pretended than real; for a scene of great confusion and bad feeling ensued—priest contending against priest, and convert against convert; so that all their good feelings one for another, if they ever had any, were entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions
Young Joseph who had barely turned 14 had no way of knowing who was right and who was wrong or which church he should join. This was a great source of uneasiness to him.
He continues:
During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often as occasion would permit. In process of time my mind became somewhat partial to the Methodist sect, and I felt some desire to be united with them; but so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong...
In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it? While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.
I have heard about this time of religious indifference. Like you mentioned, the Methodists started around this time as well. People were hungry for more than religion. Religion was dead and they were all witnessing that. It was only natural for them to seek out new ways of worshipping.
You are right that many religious movements started around this time. I would not characterize it as religious "indifference", however, but as intense religious interest.
I will continue with the early history of Joseph Smith only because it is important relative to the Book of Mormon. Perhaps everyone has heard all this before. But if not I will try to be brief without giving short shrift to the important elements. Thanks for everyone's participation and respectfulness!
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