LionHeart

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  1. It sounds to me like you have been relying on the testimony of your parents, and now that you are on your own, you need to gain one of your own. The root cause of how you are feeling is your faith is becoming weak; thus your testimony weakens, as well as your belief in God. To remedy the situation, we must begin at the foundation. First, faith in the existence of God. Does He, or does He not exist? There are many logical things to consider, such as the fact that there are thousands of elements in the human body working in complete harmony to satisfy a common purpose, (coincidence, or design?) that should take away any doubt. But it's funny how it doesn't. Logic never could convince a heart. The best thing to re-build that faith is to remember back when you were a child; so pure and innocent. Remember a profound spiritual experience that affected you greatly. Was it God, or coincidence? I think you know in your heart who it was. The next step is to strive to experience more such things. Whenever you pray, after you say the opening lines, stop, wait and feel for the spirit. Once the spirit flows in, then you may continue. Rather than asking Him to simply help you strengthen your testimony, be specific. Ask Him to help you find that paper that you lost, or to help things to line up in a way that you will have time get all of your studying done and yet still be able accomplish the other neccessities of living. When you ask for help in specifics, and the Lord helps you with those things, you realize that you couldn't have done it without Him; and then it becomes harder and harder to deny His existence. Your faith strengthens, and you witness such miracles more and more frequently until your faith becomes full, and you gain the priviledge of seeing our Lord face to face. And once you gain an understanding of the character and attributes of God, then you can determine which theology is correct. Additionally, when you read scriptures, you might find that teachings, as opposed to history, are more inspiring; such as the D&C. Study also the lectures on faith, as well as the King Follett discourse. I Really hope you can find yourself again. I think you can see that you are losing yourself in proportion to you losing your faith. LH
  2. Hello wanderer. If you would like to read the Book of Mormon, you can find it here: Scriptures Good luck with your search. L.H.
  3. On the fourth of September, 1839, Brigham Young left his home at Montrose, Iowa to start upon his mission to England. He was so sick that he was unable to go to the river, a distance of thirty rods, without assistance. After he had crossed the river, he rode behind Israel Barlow on his horse to my house, where he continued sick until the eighteenth. He left his sick wife with a baby only ten days old, and all of his other children were sick and unable to wait upon one another. Not one of them was able to go to the well for a pail of water, and they were without a single change of clothes, for the mob in Missouri had taken nearly all they had. On the seventeenth, sister Mary Ann Young got a boy to carry her up in his wagon to my house, that she might nurse and comfort Brother Brigham to the hour of starting. On the eighteenth, Charles Hubbard sent a boy with a wagon and span of horses to my house to start us on our journey. Our trunks were put into the wagon by some of the brethren who had come to bid us farewell. I went to my bed and shook hands with my wife, who was then shaking with the ague, and had two of the four children lying sick by her side. I embraced her and my children, and bade them farewell. The only child well was little Heber Parley, and it was with difficulty that he could carry a couple of quarts of water at a time, to assist in quenching their thirst. With some difficulty, we got into the wagon and started down the hill about ten rods. It seemed to me as though my very inmost parts would melt within me at the thought of leaving my family in such a condition, as it were almost in the arms of death. I felt as though I could scarcely endure it. I said to the teamster, “Hold up!” then turning to Brother Brigham, I added “This is pretty tough, but let’s rise and give them a cheer.” We arose, and swinging our hats three times over our heads, we cried: “Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah, for Israel!” My wife, hearing the noise, arose from her bed and came to the door to see what was up. She had a smile on her face. She and Sister Young cried out to us: “Good bye; God bless you!” We returned the compliment, and we were pleased to see that they were so cheerful. We then told the driver to go ahead. After this, I felt a spirit of joy and gratitude at having the satisfaction of seeing my wife standing on her feet, instead of leaving her in bed, knowing well that I should not see her again for two or three years. I just thought I might share this story here on account that I found it to be rather inspiring. L.H.
  4. I think it also refers to gods like Zeus, Apollo ,etc., as well as the Norse gods: Odin, Balder, Loki, etc. There were no physical manifestations of them, but people worshipped them just the same. L.H.
  5. I think you hit the nail right on the head, Luke. D&C 19: 21-22: And I command you that you preach naught but repentance, and show not these things unto the world until it is wisdom in me. For they cannot bear meat now, but milk they must receive; wherefore they must not know these things, lest they perish. L.H.
  6. Rather than say: "I would not have done it." you might change it to say: "I would have done things differently." I have been thinking alot about the worth of people lately. In what capacity should we regard our fellow man? In what capacity are we regarded by our Heavenly Father. This is one of the strong points of LDS doctrine. Answers to these questions can be found by the simple phrase: "As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become." In other words, each and every person has, within theirself, the capcity to attain to the same glory and exaltation our Father in Heaven currently holds. So when we ask the question: "What is the worth of this child?" We can answer, "The worth of this child is un-fathomable." Take care Traveler, and God bless. L.H.
  7. The more I think of it, the more I believe that evolution is a bunch of mumbo jumbo. For example, one of the premises behind the theory is mutation out of necessity. For example, If an animal is exposed to a certain environment in which it cannot thrive, it supposedly adapts to that environment. So pray tell, was it such a neccessity of life that we be able to pick up a penny that we formed finger nails? Perhaps bums evolved from monkeys and then we evolved from bums. Also for many things, there are factors that have nothing to do with the life form in question. For example, the dandilion, or the tumble weed. They utilize the wind to spread their seeds. I find it hard to believe that they mutated that way out of necessity for survival. It must be a result of the creative mind of the creator. There seems to be a perfect balance of things on this Earth. Hundreds of things seem to be balanced so perfectly so as to be able to support life on this Earth. For example, the distance between the Earth and the sun. If you move the Earth slightly further away, it becomes too cold. If you move it slightly closer, it becomes too hot. Other examples are the thickness of the Earth's crust, the fact that plants and animals support each other. Or consider this one: the very speed at which the Earth, as well as all the other planets travel around the Sun. If you slow them down, their orbit decays and they fall into the sun. If you speed them up, they fling out into space and become comets. And we have our giant neighbor Jupiter. Jupiter is a huge planet that takes the hit for the Earth whenever a large asteroid threatens to hit us. The mathematical odds of these things all happening by chance to seemingly meet the single goal of enabling Earth to support life would be billions to one. I'm sure for most of us, the conclusion to all of this is a no brainer; that there ultimately is a divine creator. But I do enjoy observing all of the evidences of the existence my Father in Heaven. And I can't help but marvel at the thousands of such things that are on this planet and the size of the blueprint it must have required. And realizing the effort that went into this project, it only saddens me when people attempt to explain away His existence through such rediculous theories. L.H.
  8. The song is called "Soul, Heart and Mind." L.H.
  9. I'm sure Joseph was concerned for his companions; and I am equally sure that he was concerned for his own life as well. But look at it this way: If you somehow knew that next year the world was going to end, would you quit your job, or cease your education or whatever you may have going and loaf around for the remaining year? I certainly wouldn't. As far as the mason issue goes, I beleive Joseph attained to a master mason. His brother Hiram was also a mason, as was Brigham Young and John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff. In fact many great men of the time were masons; men like George Washington and Ben Franklin. I believe that many of the things included in the church were a result of Joseph's membership among the masons. This, in my opinion, does not lessen his status as a prophet of God. L.H.
  10. Thanks for pointing that out Dr. T. I suppose the fact that it was written in Arabic lessens the likelyhood that Joseph Smith read it. I did some research on translation dates which are as follows: The Koran was first translated into English between 1648 and 1688. However it was not a very good one as the translator was very uneducated in the Arabic language. A more reliable english translation was published in 1734. A latin translation was accomplished in 1143 however, it remained hidden until 1543; when it was finally published. From the Latin translation came the German, and Hebrew translations; which were accomplished by the mid 1600's. There are no known Greek translations. L.H.
  11. Perhaps we do not need to know as such knowledge will likely have no effect on our salvation, however, for the sake of not blindly following leaders, it helps to know a few things about them. On the other hand, some of us may simply be looking to satisfy our curiosity. As far as whether Joseph Smith read the Koran or not, I would say it is highly possible; simply because in a discourse he gave, he mentioned the bibles of a few different languages. He pointed out that the German version was the closest to the original Greek version. This would indicate the possibility that he read the bible in a few different languages. The languages he had studied in the School of the Prophets were German, Hebrew, Latin and Greek. I also gathered from that discourse that he had become quite fluent in Hebrew. L.H.
  12. Due to my working circumstances, I was going to be alone for a few months. But I had a computer and internet access. So to avoid becoming a recluse, I tried a few chat sites but many of them were rather vulgar; so I ran a search for LDS chat sites and found this one. I hang around because of the many interesting people here; as well as the fact that I am fascinated with understanding religion. L.H.
  13. I personally believe that God the Father, along with Jesus and all of the noble and great ones created this Earth. This being said, Jesus, being the most faithful son to our Father was placed in the position of project manager. (remember, our Father has many worlds to oversee) Although Jesus held that position, He still had to come here in the flesh and fulfill all of the rites and ordinances pertaining to the Celestial Kingdom. (including marriage) But due to his responsibility over this world, he was also the one chosen to make the atoning sacrifice. In regards to Jesus being married, it is my understanding that it was custom for all men in Israel to marry. Although it was not law, it was expected. Although the bible does not specifically say Jesus was married, it may only mean that He fit in with the norm. For Him not to be married would have been very abnormal and likely would have been mentioned in the scripture. L.H.
  14. But was it based on one statement alone? After all, it was Joseph Smith himself who made this statement in his discourse on the Godhead. If one is to believe that he was a true prophet, who is to say that he was not inspired in that statement? After all, is not the bible merely a collection of the words and actions of divinely inspired men? If Joseph Smith was a true prophet, then why should his teachings carry any less weight than the teachings of the ancient prophets? L.H.
  15. That is a very cool site. Does it have a search function to search the scriptures for certain phrases? Thanks. L.H.
  16. I also agree that we should not waste, and I firmly believe that we should be researching new technologies to eliminate our dependence on oil. As far as global warming is concerned, I heard a geologist say that one volcano eruption produces more greenhouse gases than the whole human race could produce in 500 years. They also say that the Earth is actually in an ice age right now; and that it's just going through warm and cold cycles. This makes sense to me because I have also noticed that the winters are not nearly as harsh as they were when I was a child. But, I was reading in a book about John Taylor in which he explained the weather conditons when the mormons arrived to the Salt Lake valley. The description given closely resembles the weather in Salt Lake today. Personally, I don't buy the global warming theory. The same guys that are screaming about it are also the same guys that are screaming about the hole in the ozone layer. It helps to know where that hole is. It is right on the south pole. If it was caused by our automobiles, wouldn't it more likely be over New York, or LA? But right over the south pole; a place that only sees maybe 500 people a year. Go figure. I'll bet that hole has been there as long as the Earth has existed. Perhaps I would more readily believe some of these theories if the guys conjuring them were not the same guys getting paid off by large corporations to produce such theories in order to benefit said large corporation. For example, a pesticide called DDT. Or a refridgerant gas called R-12. L.H.
  17. Heh, thank you. Thinking of that always helps me feel better. :) You're welcome Ray. L.H.
  18. I will go ahead and voice my opinion on the topic.: First of all, I like what was said by Joseph Smith. He said: "The times may change but the requirements for man to gain salvation in the highest degree have never changed; nor will they ever change." This being said, we can look to the prophets of old for examples. How far did Job go to stand up for the truth? Or Paul, or Peter. Or most significantly, Jesus? Jesus was not afraid to accuse the pharisees of being hypocrites and sinners; regardless of how offended they became. Or ask yourself this question: In the case of Job, after he had lost his family and his riches, and his friends were insisting that he had somehow sinned, and that he should ask God for forgiveness; yet he refused to do such a thing, What would have been so bad about simply asking God for forgiveness for any sins he may have committed? Because he knew otherwise; and doing so would have been going against what he knew to be true; as well as calling God a liar. Political correctness is of the world. It is the condition of someone agreeing with the opinions of the majority of the world in order to avoid any retribution from the world. Here is some instructions Jesus gave his apostles just before He sent them out into the world to preach: John 15: 18-19: "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." Consider also this scripture, which prophecies of our time: 2 Nephi 15: 20-23 "20 Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light , and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21 Wo unto the wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight! 22 Wo unto the mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle in strong drink; 23 who justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him." L.H.
  19. Here they are Dancer. They are very funny. I think my favorites are #3, #8, #10, and #11. 1. Make race car noises when anyone gets on or off. 2. Blow your nose and offer to show the contents of your kleenex to other passengers. 3. Grimace painfully while smacking your forehead and muttering: "Shut up, all of you just shut UP!" 4. Whistle the first seven notes of "It's a Small World" incessantly. 5. Sell Girl Scout cookies. 6. On a long ride, sway side to side at the natural frequency of the elevator. 7. Shave. 8. Crack open your briefcase or purse, and while peering inside ask: "Got enough air in there?" 9. Offer name tags to everyone getting on the elevator. Wear yours upside-down. 10. Stand silent and motionless in the corner, facing the wall, without getting off. 11. When arriving at your floor, grunt and strain to yank the doors open, then act embarrassed when they open by themselves. 12. Lean over to another passenger and whisper: "Noogie patrol coming!" 13. Greet everyone getting on the elevator with a warm handshake and ask them to call you Admiral. 14. One word: Flatulence! 15. On the highest floor, hold the door open and demand that it stay open until you hear the penny you dropped down the shaft go "plink" at the bottom. 16. Do Tai Chi exercises. 17. Stare, grinning, at another passenger for a while, and then announce: "I've got new socks on!" 18. When at least 8 people have boarded, moan from the back: "Oh, not now, motion sickness!" 19. Give religious tracts to each passenger. 20. Meow occasionally. 21. Bet the other passengers you can fit a quarter in your nose. 22. Frown and mutter "gotta go, gotta go" then sigh and say "oops!" 23. Show other passengers a wound and ask if it looks infected. 24. Sing "Mary had a little lamb" while continually pushing buttons. 25. Holler "Chutes away!" whenever the elevator descends. 26. Walk on with a cooler that says "human head" on the side. 27. Stare at another passenger for a while, then announce "You're one of THEM!" and move to the far corner of the elevator. 28. Burp, and then say "mmmm...tasty!" 29. Leave a box between the doors. 30. Ask each passenger getting on if you can push the button for them. 31. Wear a puppet on your hand and talk to other passengers "through" it. 32. Start a sing-along. 33. When the elevator is silent, look around and ask "is that your beeper?" 34. Play the harmonica. 35. Shadow box. 36. Say "Ding!" at each floor. 37. Lean against the button panel. 38. Say "I wonder what all these do" and push the red buttons. 39. Listen to the elevator walls with a stethoscope. 40. Draw a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers that this is your "personal space." 41. Bring a chair along. 42. Take a bite of a sandwich and ask another passenger: "Wanna see wha in muh mouf?" 43. Blow spit bubbles. 44. Pull your gum out of your mouth in long strings. 45. Announce in a demonic voice: "I must find a more suitable host body." 46. Carry a blanket and clutch it protectively. 47. Make explosion noises when anyone presses a button. 48. Wear "X-Ray Specs" and leer suggestively at other passengers. 49. Stare at your thumb and say "I think it's getting larger." 50. If anyone brushes against you, recoil and holler "Bad touch!" L.H.
  20. After the Magi had returned to their own country without returning to Herod with the information regarding the location of the new born King, Herod went ballistic. Out of a fit of rage, he ordered his soldiers to hunt down Jesus and kill Him. And just to be certain, he also ordered them to kill every baby boy, 2 years of age and younger. One night while Joseph was sleeping, an angel visited him and warned him of the onslaught; and instructed him to get up immediately and escape to Egypt until the Lord tells him it is safe to return. So he immediately arose and took Mary and Jesus and fled to Egypt as he was instructed; a land where Herod had no juristdiction. Although Jesus was safe, young John was not. He was merely six months older than Jesus. Word had spread around quite rapidly of the miraculous birth of John; in fact some people were even considering the possibility that he was the Messiah. Therefore John was in grave danger, as he became a prime target for the soldiers. Word reached Elizabeth that Herod's soldiers were coming to seek out and kill John so she quickly took John and fled into the mountains. She searched for a place to hide him but could not find any that would conceal them well enough. So out of desparation, she knelt down and prayed for the safety of her son and herself. Suddenly an angel appeared to her and showed her a cave where she could hide. The angel then watched over them and kept them concealed and protected from the soldiers. This is where they remained until the death of Herod, as Herod, knowing about the rumors spreading around that John may have been the new born King of the Jews, and not recieving any reports from his soldiers about John's death, continued to search for him. So John spent the first part of his life being raised in the wilderness and being fed on locusts and honey. Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, Herod's servants approached Zacherias while he was attending to his temple duties concerning the location of his son. Zacherias replied to them: "I am a minister of God, and a servant at the alter. How should I know where my son is?" The servants returned to Herod and informed him of the situation. Herod only became more enraged and sent his servants back to Jerusalem with instructions to kill Zacherias if he did not tell them where his son John was. When they returned to Zacherias, they found him alone in the temple, in the holy room where the alter was, and again confronted him rather forcefully. Zacherias, realizing there was no way out, boldly stood up and proclaimed his innocence of any crimes to them; after which, he turned his speech to Herod's servants and pointed out distinctly all of their transgressions of the law. The servants of Herod became very upset and they moved towards Zacherias to lay their hands on him, but Zacherias quickly cried out: "I am a martyr for God. If you shed my blood, the lord will recieve my soul. But you will know that you have shed innocent blood." Disregarding these words, the servants lunged towards him and slew him. As he fell, they said: "Now you have your verdict." They then dragged his body out of the temple and threw him down into a nearby valley, out of the sight of the people. When the morning came, and the hour of salutation arrived, the other priests came to the temple, but Zacherias never showed up. They waited around for a while but he still never came. Finally, one of them decided to venture into the holy place to see if he was in there. Upon entering, he noticed the pool of blood on the floor and suddenly a voice spoke to him and said: "Zacherias has been murdered, and his blood shall not be wiped away until his avenger comes." He immediately ran and told the other priests what he had seen and heard; who, upon hearing this, they went to see for themselves. After telling the people that Zacherias had been murdered, all the tribes of Israel mourned and lamented for three days. Then the priests met in council to decide who should be the successor as high priest. They all cast lots, and a man named Simeon was the one chosen. Simeon was the man who was assured by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had seen the Messiah in the flesh. After Herod died, the angel came to both Elizabeth, who was still hidden in the mountains, and Joseph who was in Egypt that it was safe to return to the land of Israel. But Joseph was informed that Herod's son reigned in his stead so he was afraid that the apple did not fall very far from the tree. So because of this, and also because of a warning from an angel, he did not return to his home in Judea, but instead made a new home for his family in the eastern part of the land of Galilee; in a city called Nazereth. This fulfilled the words of the prophets saying that the Messiah shall be called a Nazerene. After returning from Egypt, Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to offer up a pair of turtledoves as a sacrifice to the Lord. Simeon, the new high priest, became filled with the Holy Ghost and rushed over to Joseph and Mary to see their child. Upon seeing the face of the young Savior, he offered up a prayer to the lord and said: "Lord, now let thy servant die in peace, according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light, to lighten the Gentiles, and the glolry of thy people Israel." Joseph and Mary traveled to Jerusalem every year for the feast of the passover. On one particular journey, after Jesus had grown to a young boy, they were about to travel through a desert country but they were told that it was infested with robbers. So they decided they would pass through it in the night time. As they traveled through it, they came upon a band of robbers who were asleep. However, two of them were awake and standing at the side of the road. One of them was named Titus, and the other was named Dumachus. When these two men saw the small family approaching, they stopped them. But Titus became filled with the Holy Ghost, and he turned to Dumachus, who was much less compassionate, and asked him to allow this family to pass quietly. But Dumachus refused him and was about to awaken the rest of the gang, but Titus offerd him fourty groats (food made from wheat) and gave him his girdle as a pledge if he would just let this family pass quietly. Dumachus accepted the terms and remained quiet. Mary thanked Titus for his kindness and as they began to continue their journey, Jesus turned to Mary and said: "In twenty five years, the Jews will crucify me at Jerusalem, and these two theives will be with me on the cross. Titus on my right, and Dumachus on my Left. And at that time, Titus will go with me to paradise." Mary replied to this: "Oh my son, God forbid this should be your lot." But never the less, they traveled peaceably to Jerusalem. I will conclude this narrative at this point. Hopefully, this helps people to have a deeper understanding of the events that took place that enabled our Savior to come into the world and be preserved so that He could carry out the will of our Father in Heaven, and make it possible for us to gain our salvation. Many lives became forfiet due to Satan's drastic attempts to prevent the plan of salvation from coming among the children of men. It is my prayer that we can more fully realize this, and let it deepen our appreciation for everything we have been blessed with in this life. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son; that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." Merry Christmas everyone, and God bless, Amen L.H.
  21. The audio book I was referring to is called "Learn the bible in 24 hours" It is VERY fascinating if you like to link science to biblical events or just more fully understand why certain people did certain things. It also explains in great detail just how "the New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed and the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed." It is a 24 hour study however. L.H.
  22. Hi C.K. I get the 'secret sect of Magi' from an audio book that contains a bible study given by Chuck Missler. In fact I wondered if you had heard of him because he quotes your signature a few times: The new testament is in the old testament concealed; the old testament is in the new testament revealed. For more information on the chinese astronomers check out this site: http://www.iac.es/galeria/mrk/Chinese.html The thing you are looking for is "the 5 BC star" L.H.
  23. You are certainly welcome Mrs S. It is my pleasure. Now we will take into consideration the glorious star that appeared that night. There is much controversy over this topic. From what I have seen, the most widely accepted version is that in the years 3-2 BC, there were numerous conjunctions between Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, and the star Regulus. The only problem is this: Even if all of these stars became so close that they appeared to be one star, it still would not have lit up the sky like the sun does. So at this point, I would like to offer my own opinion: In the year 4 BC there was also a series of conjunctions with Jupiter, and Venus, and Mercury. Perhaps this is what led the wise men to Bethlehem but I don't believe it was the star of Bethlehem. The scripture says it was a "New Star". In the year 5 BC, chinese astronomers reported a "New Star" that lasted for seventy days. But it gets more interesting. They did not give an exact date but that it occured during the time frame of late March to early April. April 6th perhaps? Now there are only two kinds of "New Stars" that only last for a short time. Those are comets, and supernovas. A supernova is when a dwarf star explodes; thus becoming a thousand to a million times its normal brightness; then gradually getting dim and eventually disappearing altogether. This event would have lit up the night sky as if it were day. So I think the Magi saw this event and recognized it as the sign they had been watching for. They then waited until they could see the stars again and then commenced their journey to Judea. At this point, one might ask: "Why would these Magi from the Parthian empire; these king makers, have any interest in a new born Jew?" I'm sure thousands of Jews were born every day. Why the interest in this one? The answer is that this was a legacy started by Daniel the prophet, and handed down from generation to generation. This was the whole scope of that secret sect of Magi; to fulfill the prophecy by bringing gifts to the new born Savior of the world. So they commenced their journey following the stars; primarily Jupiter, but they did not go to Judea. They went to Rome. That is where Herod was. The Roman empire and the Parthian empire were rivals. They had been squabbling over Judea for many years. Judea was a buffer state, therefore it was not safe for Herod to be there. So they arrived at Rome in the presence of Herod. But there were not only three Magi. There was a whole military escort with many Magi. Tradition just assumes that since the scripture says there were three gifts, then there were three wise men. These were the king makers of the Parthian empire entering into their rival neighbor, Rome. Essentially they were the enemy in enemy territory. When they arrived, they asked Herod: "Where is He that is born King of the Jews?" One must understand the scope of this question. Herod was not a Jew. He was an Edomite. Judea was conquered by Rome, taken from the Parthian empire actually, and Herod was appointed by the Romans to be the king of the Jews. This question asked him by the Magi was a deliberate insult to Herod. If there had only been three of them, Herod would have simply said: "Off with their heads." But since there were many with a military escort, Herod was intimidated and did not dare to do anything but answer their question. But he did not know where it was. He asked his scribe to look it up for him. After telling the Magi that it was in the city of David, he then told them to return upon finding the newborn child and tell him where the child was, so that he too could go and worship Him. After this, they continued to travel in the direction of Jupiter which moved directly over Bethlehem and seemed to stand still. After arriving, they delivered their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They then departed with the intentions of returning to Herod and telling him where the new born King was, but the Lord informed them that Herod did not have good intentions like he claimed to have. So they returned to their own country; leaving Herod to wonder about it. L.H.
  24. Meanwhile, back in Israel, a decree went out from Caesar, Augustus that his entire empire should be taxed. Everyone was to return to the city of their birth in order to be taxed. So Joseph and Mary left the city of Nazereth and went to the city of Bethlehem; where Joseph was born. Upon arriving, Mary began to show symptoms that she would be delivering her child soon; so Joseph began frantically searching for an inn. But due to the numbers of people who were there to be taxed, all of the inns were full. There was one inn keeper who, upon hearing that Mary was soon to be delivered, took compassion on them, and although there was no room in his inn, he led them to a stable where they would be sheltered from the weather and at least have warm straw. This stable was not an ordinary stable however. It was a large hole dug in the side of a hill; a man made cave. Going back to the people of Neph: The wicked unbelievers eventually outnumbered the faithful. They then set apart a day in which all the believers would be put to death if the great sign, signifying the birth of the Savior, had not appeared by that date. There was a prophet among them Named Nephi who became very concerned over this situation. Being very sorrowful, he knelt down and prayed mightily on behalf of his righteous brethren who were about to be killed because of their faith in God and the words of the prophets. He cried mightily to God all day until finally the voice of the Lord spoke to him. The Lord told him to be of good comfort because on that very night, the great sign would be given and our Lord would come into the world among the people in Israel to redeem mankind and fulfill the prophecies. And then, it happened. In a stable, in the city of Bethlehem, a child was born. Joseph wrapped the child in swaddling clothes, and filled a manger (a feeding trough for livestock) with fresh clean straw, and layed this precious baby in it. This child had His beginning below all things; in a large hole dug in the side of a hill, yet He would eventually rise above all things, and go on to change the course of history. It can truly be said that there has never been another soul to walk the face of this Earth who has ever had as great an impact among the children of men as our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This precious child was destined to be on the recieving end of the full force of all the hosts of Satan. Even as a newborn baby, through no fault of His own, there was such a strong hatred against Him; which would result in numerous attempts on His life. And yet, due to the fact that Joseph and Mary lived righteously enough to be able to recieve inspiration from God, the child would survive the attacks on His life, and go on to fulfill His Father's will among the children of men. As soon as the child was born, there appeared a glorious star in the heavens. In the fields around Bethlehem, there were shepherds watching over their flocks who were astonished by the glorious star. Amid their astonishment, the angel Gabriel appeared to them and said: "Fear not, for behold I bring unto thee good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. You will find Him lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes." Upon saying these things, there was suddenly a multitude of the Heavenly hosts, praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on Earth, good will toward men." Upon hearing these things, the shepherds immediately left their flocks and went in search of the the new born Savior. Also, in the lands to the east, there were a group of men who were members of a secret sect of magi who recognized the new star as the sign they had been waiting for; which legacy had been passed down to them from generation to generation; all the way from the days of the prophet Daniel. They then immediately began preparing for their journey to Judea. Among the people of Nephi, on the other side of the world, both the wicked and righteous alike, stood in astonishment when the sun went down yet the sky remained lit up as if it were still day. It was the sign, given by the prophets, of the coming of the Messiah. At this point, the righteous people were spared their lives and the wicked fell to the Earth because they realized their folly and their wickedness. They knew that the prophets had prophesied of these things for many years, yet they did not believe. So they became sorrowful over their iniquity and the atrocity they were about to commit against their brethren. And they repented and turned their hearts back to the Lord. L.H.
  25. About this same time, in a land on the other side of the world; later to be called the land of America, there lived the people of Nephi; another branch of the house of Israel. The coming of the Messiah was widely known among these people because all of the prophets who came among them prophesied of His coming. However, unlike the prohets of the old testament, the prophets in this land even prophesied of the name He would have; Jesus Christ. The prophecies of the Savior in this land were much more detailed than those of the prophets of old, likely because the bulk of Jesus' ministry was not going to be among them. But there were many among them at this time who began to put their trust in their own wisdom and began to preach of the unlikeliness that there would ever be such a man posessing such power to perform the miracles that were prophesied of. There were also others who were disheartened because of the fact that Jesus' ministry would not be among them, but among the people in Israel; therefore they began to lose faith. And there were yet others who decided that the prophecies of Jesus were only myths contrived by the prophets to get the people to be good and keep them in submission. But there was a sign prophesied of by a man named Samuel, who was a lamanite prophet, that on the night that Jesus should be born, the sun would set, yet it would not become dark, but it would remain as day. This is what the faithful ones anxiously awaited for. But there were many who decided in their hearts that it should surely come by a certain time, but when it did not, they began to lose their faith and join the hosts of the wicked unbelievers. L.H.